Caution: Agents In Training
by catlover1033
Summary: Famed teen sleuths Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys collide at a special agent training program, and of course, things get complicated. Between classes, roommates, and a dangerous threat to the country, the three detectives have their hands full. New Series! T for Language/Action, Please read and review!
1. Moving In

**_So... If you didn't notice, I'm back!_**

**_Didn't you miss me?_**

_**A couple notes on this story. I will be updating every three days (as in update, day, day, update) This will give me a little more time so I can do my best to give you all consistent updates! Also, I know nothing about agent training programs. I've done some research, but obviously there isn't that much info on those types of things. So bear with me there! Feel free to give me suggestions or ask any questions!**_

_**Also, I love reviews. Like a lot. Soooooo... If you want to make my day, hit that review button!**_

_**Well, let's get down to the story. This first chapter will be laying down some ground work. Frank is 19 and Nancy and Joe are 18.  
**_

**_An important note is that in this series, the Hardys and Drews do not know each other._**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. **_

"I'll be fine." A slim strawberry blonde young woman stood in a room empty except for a bunk bed.  
"I know, I just…" A handsome older man pulled her into a hug. "I'll always worry about you, Nancy. I always have." A faint smile showed on his face. "Heck, with some of the close calls you've had, I have a right to worry."

"I guess you have a point, Dad," Nancy smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry to make you worry. But I do always pull through." She put down her suitcase and looked around at the small little room with the slightly faded light blue wall paper. One window brought in a beam of sunshine, creating a pool of light on the wooden floor. "I can't believe I've finally made it here."

"Yes." Carson Drew's expression sagged slightly.

He was as proud as any father could be that his daughter had been accepted into an elite agent training program. But he knew a restless, danger filled life would follow an agent. It wasn't his decision to make, but he wasn't sure that was the path he would choose for his daughter. However, he had talked Nancy through the choice, and knew she had thought thoroughly about this decision. Granted, she was a little young to be deciding her future, but Carson knew his daughter had to make her own way. Attempting to create a path for her would only cause her to go the opposite direction.

Still, the house was going to be so empty without his bright flame of life.

"Dad! Don't look so sad!" Nancy's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. "You'll come visit me right? And I'll be home for all the holidays," she promised.

"You better!" Carson shook himself out of his depressed mood and put a smile on. "Hannah will be cooking up a storm."

"Of course I'll be there." Nancy glanced at her watch. "Dad, you're going to miss your flight."

Carson checked his watch as well. This was the moment he had been dreading for a long time.

Letting his little girl go.

They walked side by side out of the dorm, to the lawn where a taxi was waiting.

"Bye Dad," Nancy gave him a tight hug, which he reciprocated, wrapping his arms securely around her.

"Call me all the time. I want to hear everything. And don't let those boys get all over you."

"Dad!" Nancy protested. Carson's blue eyes sparkled.

"I'll miss you." Carson pressed his lips to her strawberry blonde hair.

"I love you, Dad," Nancy told him.

"I love you too." Carson reluctantly stepped away. She smiled and raised her hand in a wave as he got into the taxi. Then the cab pulled away, into the street, and she quickly lost sight of it. She let her hand, still raised in a wave, fall to her side.

_I'm finally here!_ Nancy smiled and turned to go into the dorm.

* * *

"Can someone tell me again why I have to share a room with Mr. Neat-Freak?" Joe Hardy complained to nobody in particular. Frank Hardy, the older of the two, ignored him and glanced down at the piece of paper he was holding. A bystander might have been confused to find that the two young men were brothers. Joe was built more sturdily, with blond hair and bright blue eyes, while Frank was leaner with dark brown hair and eyes. However, anybody would admit both were undeniably handsome.

"Come on, we're in the Jack Reinston Dorm," Frank looked up, taking in the sturdy brick building. A group of girls walked by, quickly catching Joe's attention.

"Whoa, ladies, can I get some names?" Joe stopped, swinging his bag over his shoulder, showing off the considerable muscle of his arm. One of the girls giggled, a brunette with large dark eyes. Joe winked at her.

"I'm Tori Callister," she told him with a blush.

"Carly Stevens," a blonde girl told him, fiddling with her bag, staring daggers at the brunette.

"I'm Joe Har… Ouch!" Joe was cut off as a hand grabbed his arm and dragged him away. "Frank!"

"Can we please find our dorm room and flirt later?" Frank pulled his brother up the steps towards the door.

"I wasn't flirting, I was getting to know some people," Joe protested, trailing after Frank as they stepped into the building. He paused and lowered his voice. "Do you think everyone here is for the training program?"

"I doubt it. It's supposed to be pretty small so that it can give specialized training." Frank paused. "Besides, they train for other things here, such as coders, hackers, medics… all that."

"Glad we can go in as partners," Joe said, uncharacteristically serious. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"We're a team," Frank smiled, clapping his brother on the back. It wasn't often that Joe thanked him, and to be honest he was a little touched. It wasn't the easiest decision to make, to wait a year for Joe to graduate so they could enroll in the training program together. But they had always been a team, and both wanted to continue their career that way. They both knew they complimented each other well.

And the extra year hadn't been too bad, Frank reflected. He had been able to help out his dad with cases, as well as enroll in several college classes, including Chinese, Spanish, and forensics.

"Ah. Here we are," Frank looked at the wooden door in front of him, with the dulled metal numbers. 118.

"Home sweet home!" Joe unlocked the door and dragged his bag in. They both stopped and looked at the small dorm room, bare except a bunk bed. "We have to share this?" Joe pulled a face.

"Trust me, I'm not thrilled about this either," Frank told him, stepping in after him.

"Where am I supposed to take the girls?" Joe grinned, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. Frank covered his face with his hands.

"Please. Whatever you do. Do not. Bring. Them. Here," he pleaded. "I do _not_ want to hear you making out. Ever."

"I don't know Frankie, this could go either way. How am I supposed to know that you're not going to bring a hot babe back here?" Joe teased with a charming smile, raking a hand through his blond hair.

"We're here to learn, not 'pick up chicks'," Frank emphasized, grabbing his sweatshirt and starting out of the room.

"Yeah, but who said we can't do both?" Joe asked, following close behind.

_**Please review! With a cherry and chocolate sauce on top! Tell me what you think!**_


	2. Meet and Greet

_**Awww thanks guys, I missed you all too ;) **_

_** Seriously though, a huge thanks to my reviewers, VerityD, Caranath, Guest#1, Shani8, bhar, Claudia Donavan, Wolfgirl1221, beachgirlsrule, Supermikeyninjalady, max2013, Guest#2, cameron1812, no-oneimportant, Julia, and Smithy! Also big thanks to all who favorited or followed this story!**_

_** As promised, here is the update, right on time! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**_

_**Disclaimer, I still, unfortunately, do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. **_

There was a timid knock at the door and Nancy hurried to open it. A small slim brunette stood at the door, a duffel bag in one hand and a hard shelled suitcase by her side.

"Hello, are you Tessa?" Nancy smiled and opened the door wider. She took a moment to examine her roommate, the girl she would be living with for the next nine months. The young woman was very thin, with pixie like features, and a casual t-shirt and jean shorts.

"I am. And you're Nancy?" Tessa's face relaxed into a smile, her green eyes brightening.

"That's me!" Nancy grabbed Tessa's suitcase and helped her carry it in. "It's nice to meet you," she beamed. "Looks like we'll be getting to know each other pretty well this year." She put down the suitcase by the second bed. "Do you have any other bags?"

"Nope, just these two," Tessa flushed.

_That was odd_, Nancy thought. _Two suitcases for a whole year at college?_ She decided not to say anything.

"Anyways, this is our room! It's not very large," Nancy said ruefully.

"Oh no, it's perfect," Tessa said eagerly, looking around. She clasped her small hands together and turned to face Nancy. "I just wanted to tell you how excited I am to be rooming with you," Tessa reddened but kept going. "I…I've never had a sister… and, well, I'm excited to get to know you."

"I've never had one either," Nancy told her, pulling her new friend into a hug. "And I'm excited too." She stepped back. "Want some help unpacking?"

"No, I'm fine," Tessa shook her head. "What program are you here for?"

"Finance and environment," Nancy smoothly lied. It was the answer she had been instructed to give to non-special program students. But she felt badly lying to Tessa, who looked at her so adoringly.

"Wow, that's great! I'm training to be a counselor." She put her bag down on the bed and straightened.

"That sounds perfect for you," Nancy told her. "Do you want to go down to the cafeteria?"

"Sure." Tessa beamed and followed Nancy out the door.

They walked through the halls, which were crowded with students and their families moving in.

"Hey babe." A muscular dark haired boy suddenly blocked Nancy's path. "I'm Sean. Can I just say that you're looking beautiful today?" He flashed a bright smile, his blue eyes trained on her.

"You can say it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to listen to a word you say," Nancy told him, her blue eyes flashing, stepping aside and pulling Tessa with her.

"But…" Sean turned around. His friends seemed excited at his rejection.

"Buuuuuurrnnnn!" A dark skinned boy yelled and exchanged high fives with another guy.

"Sean, you just got owned!" his friend grinned.

"Did he…" Tessa's eyes were wide.

"Just ignore them," Nancy told her. "Guys like that aren't worth a dime."

"I…" Tessa began.

"Hello ladies, can I help you?" A strikingly handsome boy stopped them. He had bright blue eyes and blonde hair, with a muscular athletic build.

"No thanks," Nancy told him, taking Tessa's hand.

"C'mon. You're just going to brush me off?" the boy followed them.

"That was my plan." Nancy turned around to face him again, her frustration catching up with her. "Listen, I am sick and tired of being hit on! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm an object to collect or ogle at!"

She knew it wasn't the boy's fault and that she was just venting her frustration on him. A lot of times it wasn't easy being a detective in the male dominated field.

"Whoa," the boy held up his hands. "I didn't mean to insult you! I just am trying to get to know some people around here!" He gave them an innocent look and Nancy felt herself feeling bad at snapping at him even though _getting to know some people_ probably wasn't why this boy had approached two attractive girls.

"I'm Tessa McKlean," Tessa told him shyly.

"Nice to meet you," the boy nodded, then looked at Nancy expectantly.

"Nancy Drew," she relented. The boy's blue eyes flickered with surprise for a moment. Nancy narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm Joe Hardy," he finally introduced himself.

Only thanks to lots of practice did Nancy manage to keep her expression from changing. _Joe Hardy as in the Hardy Boys?!_

She refused to be excited about this. She wasn't a dumb fangirl. She could remain dignified. Even if the Hardy Boys had solved tons of cases all over the country.

Then again, so had she.

"Nice to meet you," she told him politely. Then she turned and headed for the Multicultural Food Buffet, with Tessa close behind.

* * *

"Dude, she's here, and she's totally hot," Joe hissed, sliding into the booth next to Frank, clanking his tray onto the table.

"Who the heck are you talking about this time?" Frank sighed, opening his calcium infused drink.

"Nancy Drew," Joe leaned forward.

Frank looked up, surprised, his dark eyes sparking with interest.

"She's here?" he looked subtly around, scratching his nose and tilting his head.

"I just met her," Joe said under his breath, pleased he had finally gotten his serious brother's attention. "The red head with the brunette, in line at the multi-culti food."

"You're sure that's Nancy Drew?" Frank murmured, nonchalantly raising his juice to his lips.

"Positive." Joe took a huge bite out of his hamburger. "Think she's here for the agent training program?" he mumbled around his food.

"If that's her, then yes, I bet she is." Frank turned back to his plate. He had read articles about the girl detective, all of them leaving him feeling impressed. She had done at least as much as Joe and him, but unlike them, she worked solo.

"She totally snapped at me," Joe commented. "She's feisty."

Frank rolled his eyes at the admiration in his brother's eyes.

"Yeah well, don't go hitting on the Teen Sleuth of the Year."

"She was only it for one year. And so were we. Plus we got pulled into the Network. She didn't," Joe said defensively. "She's hotter than I had realized."

Frank cringed. Unlike him, his brother had a tendency to fairly free with his speech, especially when it came to girls. However, as he glanced again at the slim strawberry blonde talking animatedly with her friend, he couldn't help admire her fine features and figure. Joe was right. Nancy Drew was undeniably attractive as well as intelligent.

"Are you checking her out?" Joe's blue eyes sparkled.

"No, I'm not," Frank said a bit more forcefully than intended. "This is Agent Training, Joe. Everyone in our program is competing for coveted special program spots. After all, this is one of the only programs that accept students fresh out of high school. Everybody is competition. Including Nancy Drew."

"C'mon Frank, lighten up," Joe sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Howdy freshmen!" A large muscular student followed by two others sat down next to Frank and Joe. Frank's eyes narrowed. "My name's Sean," the man offered his hand. "I'm a senior here."

"I'm Joe, and this is my brother Frank," Joe introduced them.

"I heard you're part of the program, if you know what I mean," Sean winked one blue eye.

"How do you know that?" Frank asked suspiciously.

"Dude, we have connections. After all, this type of stuff is what we're training for," a dark skinned man grinned.

"Guys, we're talking kind of loud," the third friend said, his dark eyes darting around shiftily.

"Don't mind Tim," Sean leaned back. "He's always nervous about these types of things. Anyways, we just wanted to say hello."

"Duly noted," Frank said dryly, leaning back. He wasn't sure exactly why, but there was something that he distinctly didn't like about Sean.

"Don't be getting attitude with me," Sean leaned forward, his blue eyes narrowing. "Just because you're the hot shot Hardy Boys doesn't mean you're getting off easy here." He stood up. "C'mon boys, let's go." His two friends got up and the three of them walked off.

"Dude, seriously!" Joe turned to Frank. "Aren't we trying to make friends here? Not enemies?" His brows furrowed. "You can't blow off everyone with your calm rational attitude."

"There's something I didn't like about him. Besides, there will be other people," Frank shrugged, taking a bite of his pasta. "And there's nothing wrong with being calm and rational."

"This is college, you should loosen up! We're the stars, we could own this place if we wanted. C'mon. We're the Hardy Boys," Joe grinned.

"This isn't Bayport, Joe," Frank grimaced, putting down his fork. "Here, we're normal. All the students in this program are going to be really good." He felt a twinge of irritation. Joe had always enjoyed basking in the glory of being a successful detective. And sometimes he let that go to his head.

His gaze drifted across the cafeteria, where the strawberry blonde was sitting, talking with her friend. Nancy Drew. He raked a hand through his dark hair. She was good, he knew that. _I wonder what she's like?_ Well, she _was_ a girl.

"Just loosen up, have some fun for once," Joe groaned, snapping Frank's attention away from Nancy.

"Hey Joe," a brunette giggled and waved as she walked by. Frank tried to keep his mouth from falling open. They had barely been here a day and Joe seemed to already know a majority of the female population.

"Tori!" Joe caught up with her, putting a playful arm around her shoulder. He turned back and looked at Frank with a wink before walking away with the girl.

Frank got up, dumped his tray into the trash, and headed back for the dorm room.

He was going to get a head start on those text books.

_**Please tell me what you think! Is Nancy too touchy? Any thoughts, comments, hate letters? Just hit that review button!**_


	3. Acclimation

_**Kind of in a rush, so reviewers will be individually thanked in the next chapter! A huge gigantic thanks in the meantime!**_

_** I hope you enjoy and that this chapter explains some things! (Please keep in mind that this is a story and I'm a teenager, so not all of it is going to be completely accurate! Some of you are taking this awfully seriously :) I will do my best though, as always! And of course, I really appreciate tips! I just can't follow all of them since unfortunately (or fortunately?) a lot of my story line/setting is already in place!)**_

_** Also, those who followed my last series and know about my (recently) one eyed kitty, she is doing great! I can't even tell the difference from before she lost her eye! She's doing great, and I love her new wink. She seems only more beautiful to me! Thanks for remembering her :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys!**_

"Welcome to Special Agent Training Program," a sturdy older man stood in front of the small classroom. "I am Professor Beacon."

Nancy leaned one hand slightly against the palm of her hand and looked subtly around.

The class was small, all freshmen. Everyone looked very fit and alert. All faces were forward, but Nancy could tell several of the other students were also looking around, like her.

She was the only girl out of the seven of them in the room.

_Crap._

Nancy stifled a sigh. Great. Just great. Nobody had told her she would be the only girl. Sure, they had told her it was going to be a very small group. But seriously? Was she actually the only girl who made it in?

Her eyes drifted to Joe Hardy. He looked slightly bored, leaning back in his seat, fingers drumming against the chair. Next to him was an incredibly handsome guy with dark hair and eyes. The resemblance was obvious. She had just found the other Hardy Boy.

What was his name? Fred? No, Frank.

"Our goal here is not just to train you to be an agent. We offer early specialized training, which, as you all should know, is a unique program especially for those just out of high school. Most of our students end up working for the CIA or FBI, or even private services of the President. That being said, you all are at the bottom. We start with the basics and build up. Our job is to train you. We aren't going to coddle you, slow down and hold your hand. Here, you do it our way. You don't speak back to authority. You don't complain. You don't make excuses. We will make you cry and kick your butts. We'll be learning combat training, decoding, bomb diffusion and much much more. If you don't like how something is done, you're tired out, you get behind in studies, too bad. This is agent training, not kindergarten." Professor Beacon paused to look around. Nancy noticed that even Joe Hardy had snapped to attention. "I'm not going to lie, most of you will end up as pencil pushers. But if you're good enough, you might actually end up out in the action. And if you want to be that good, you've got to give it your hundred and ten percent."

"Alright, that being understood, everyone get out their History of Governments textbooks and turn to page twenty six."

"Why are we learning about governments?" a boy with light brown hair, sitting in front of Nancy, mumbled.

"Ah, excellent question, Mr. Thompson," Professor Beacon turned, his grey eyes hardening slightly. "Please let me answer with a question of my own. You have been assigned to a job in Libya. Your job is for the government, and you are supposed to gather any information regarding Libya's stability so that the White House can make educated choices regarding alliances. You notice a young man of the Berber tribe often hanging around the American Embassy. What could this tell you?"

The room was silent. The boy's face reddened.

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, if you knew about the history of governments, you would know that the Berber tribe traditionally holds egalitarian principles, and is displeased by the corruption of the current government of Egypt and America, making him a possible threat. You would investigate this young man, find out why he is hanging around an embassy he obviously does not support."

Again, silence. Nancy gripped her pencil tighter, suddenly realizing the amount of work it was going to take to prepare for becoming an agent.

"Alright, let's turn to page 26 now."

Two hours later, Nancy left the room, her head spinning with information. She glanced at her schedule- physical fitness was next.

"Hey, I'm Roc," a fit young African American man held out his hand. "I'm trying to get to know some of my classmates," he explained at Nancy's suspicious look.

"Nancy Drew," Nancy cautiously offered her hand. His handshake was firm and strong.

"That class was something, wasn't it?" Roc smiled, white teeth flashing.

"I didn't think we'd be doing quite so much book work," Nancy agreed.

"Yeah, it wasn't how I imagined agent training either. But it makes sense. So you want to be an agent?" Roc leaned casually against the wall. Nancy noticed that several of the other students glanced their way as they walked out.

"That's why I'm here," Nancy shrugged. She couldn't tell if Roc was flirting or just being friendly.

"You don't relax easily, do you?" Roc observed. Nancy stiffened and narrowed her eyes. But Roc's expression was teasing and casual.

"You're right," Nancy found herself suddenly laughing at herself. "I'm sorry." She let her limbs relax and gave Roc an actual smile. "I guess I was a little tense."

"Hey, Nance!"

She turned to see Joe Hardy walking towards her.

"Alright, well I'll catch you later Nancy!" Roc flashed her another brilliant smile and walked away.

"Please don't call me that," Nancy huffed at Joe. She could already tell that Joe Hardy was going to drive her crazy.

"Alright, Nan. Hey, I wanted you to meet my brother," Joe turned to the young man beside him.

"Hi, I'm Frank." His voice was deep and smooth, and his hand was slightly calloused.

"Nancy Drew," she replied, giving a careful smile.

"You're a detective, aren't you?" Frank said. "I think I've heard of you."

"I like to solve mysteries," Nancy shrugged, pulling nervously at her shirt.

"We're into mysteries too," Joe jumped in. "Old Frankie and I," he grinned and clapped Frank on the back.

"Please don't call me that," Frank grimaced. Joe beamed then walked off. "He's driving me crazy," Frank groaned.

"I could see that," Nancy laughed, feeling herself relax.

"Come on, let's find this gym," Frank pulled out his school map. "Maybe we could meet up sometime and talk about cases later. I'd love to hear some of your stories."

"Yeah, sure," Nancy agreed, feeling surprisingly pleased at his offer. _Darn it, Nancy, focus! You're here for one reason only, and that is to become a special agent!_

"Mr. Hardy, Headmaster Peters would like to see you in his office," Professor Beacon approached them.

"Right now?" Frank looked startled.

"Right now."

Frank gave Nancy an apologetic smile and then followed the professor. Nancy shifted her backpack and watched him walk off.

There was a faint noise behind her, and she whirled around but saw nobody.

_It's nothing,_ she told herself. But she couldn't shake the sudden feeling that she was being watched.

* * *

"Mr. Hardy, please sit down."

Frank took in the large, richly furnished office and sat down in the hard wooden chair in front of the large organized desk. Right in front of him sat Headmaster Peters.

_Who was a woman…_

He didn't know why this surprised him as much as it did, but for some reason, he had been expecting an elderly man. Not an attractive middle aged slim brunette.

"You're probably wondering why I've asked you to come here," Headmaster Peters said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. The two piece business dress only added to her aura of authority.

She seemed to be awaiting a response.

"I am, ma'am," he said, clearing his throat. Something about her manner reminded him of Nancy.

Part of him cringed when he thought of Nancy. He must have sounded so dumb as he tried to keep their conversation going. As far as he could tell, Nancy was only tolerating his presence. And then Joe had to go and call him Frankie in front of her…

"Well, I've been looking over your transcript, and I have to say, for a first year, I'm impressed." Peters nodded at him, her grey eyes softening slightly. "Your work with the Network is impressive."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Seeing that this is a fairly elite program, one of my jobs is to keep my trainees safe and prepared. You all are young and frankly, clueless. There are pros and cons to taking students at younger ages. About this program- we take this location at a mediocre college for protection. Nobody will imagine a top training organization at little Colen College. But to be honest, you aren't much of a target or a threat. You're young and untrained. You serve no purpose, hold no secret information yet. Our job is just to train you, prepare you for the possibility of becoming a target. We put our students in the regular housing for that reason. It trains students to go completely undercover. The housing situation itself is preparing our students for life as an agent. Based on a final evaluation and tests, you may or may not get picked up by a service. We know you're not perfect, but it provides the perfect chance to test students out. And if a student leaks the information, we throw him or her out and cover it up. Secret services of all types are experts at that."

"What about the people who find out?" Frank frowned. It didn't really seem like a foolproof system to him, although he did see that she had a point.

"You really think a student is going to believe there's a top secret academy here just because his very fit roommate is reading a book on combat training?" Headmaster Peters raised her eyebrows. "You and your brother got off easy on that aspect. But there's always a risk. Which is why I would like you to keep an eye on things for me. I can't be everywhere, especially among the students. I need you to be my eyes and ears among them."

"I…" Frank was slightly speechless. "Why do you trust me among the other students?" he finally asked, unable to keep the question to himself.

"I believe from your previous work that you are a respectable, level headed, and trustworthy young man," Headmaster Peters told him, her facial expression even. Frank felt a twinge of satisfaction that _he_ not Nancy or Joe had been picked. It was crowded out by some unease. Was this a normal thing for Agent Trainers to do?

_Why was he hesitating? For goodness sakes, he was a detective! This was right up his alley! Of course a secret organization would have spies within._

"I would be honored. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for?"

"Any suspicious behavior. This is the number you can reach me at the most quickly." She handed him an embossed business card, pulling it from seemingly nowhere. "Thank you. You are dismissed." Her grey eyes looked over him once again and her face relaxed into a smile. Frank nodded and got up. "Ah, one last thing Frank," Peters stopped him at the door. "For safety, please keep this a secret."

"Of course," Frank agreed. The door closed behind him, leaving him alone in the hall. He quickly tucked the business card into his wallet.

It was looking like he was going to be in more action than he had thought.

_**Please Review! I will give you a virtual milkshake! Unless you are lactose intolerant. Then I will give you a virtual milk free cookie. **_


	4. Roommate Issues

_**Gah! It's 11:04 pm where I am so I'm 56 minutes in danger of updating late!**_

_** That being said, I would love some encouragement! I'm kind of on a road block on the story (but I still have two or three more chapters tucked away, don't worry) but nice reviews always make me more enthused for the story :)**_

_** On that topic, thanks to my AWESOME reviewers of the last two chapters, wolfgirl1221, no-oneimportant, VerityD, Guest#1, cameron1812, hlahabibty, ILoveMom, Caranath, Claudia Donovan, Smithy, j, max2013, Shani8, Wondering Snow, FreshKicks, erinjordan, and NF fan! *gives out virtual vanilla milkshakes***_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Unfortunately. **_

Nancy was afraid her limbs were going to fall off. She had always been careful about remaining in shape, and had considered herself very fit.

Not anymore. This had only been a warm up and she was exhausted. They had run, done pushups, pull-ups, abs work outs, and basically exercised every muscle possible.

At least she had been able to keep up with the guys, Nancy reminded herself with some satisfaction. Not just kept up, she was pretty sure she did better than most of the boys. She pulled out her keys, pausing in front of her door.

_Was that crying?_ Nancy stopped, her brow furrowing. She quickly unlocked the door and stepped into the dorm room. Tessa was leaning against the wall, her knees pulled towards up against her chest. At the sound of the door opening, Tessa jumped and turned her large green eyes towards Nancy. They were red and slightly puffy.

"Tessa, are you okay?!" Nancy dropped her bag in alarm.

"I'm fine," Tessa bit her lip and looked down. Suddenly Nancy noticed the blood trickling down the other side of her face from a long gash above her left eyebrow.

"Tessa, what happened?!" Nancy's eyes widened, and she crouched in front of the tiny girl to examine the cut.

"I tripped and banged it on a desk. I'm sorry, I've just had a really sucky day," Tessa sniffed. "It's fine." She covered her face with her hands, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Come here," Nancy said gently, helping Tessa up from the floor and guiding her to sit on the bed. "I have a first aid kit, I'll grab it." She dug through a half unpacked suitcase and grabbed it, along with the tissue box that was sitting on the dresser.

"You don't have to," Tessa sniffed. "I'm sorry, I'm acting like a little kid, I…"

"Tessa, don't even worry about it!" Nancy told her firmly. "Want to tell me what happened?" She grabbed a disinfectant wipe. "This might sting a bit," she warned before starting to clean the cut.

"I tripped in class and hit my head on the corner of the desk." Tessa's brilliant eyes didn't quite meet Nancy's.

"And nobody stopped to help you?" Nancy frowned.

"Almost everyone was gone, and I kind of ran out because I was so embarrassed," Tessa admitted. "Nancy, I don't know if I can do this. The first day was killer; I didn't know any of the stuff anybody was talking about! Especially that Psych 101 class, I'm so behind…"

"It's just the first day," Nancy told her soothingly.

"But I have to keep up my scholarship," Tessa said quietly. "Otherwise I'm out of here. This is my only chance. I'm from a tiny town where nobody goes to college, and my high school wasn't good, which is why I got the scholarship. But I'm not prepared like the other kids." Tears welled up in her eyes again. "If I can't keep a 3.0 GPA, then I'll lose the scholarship, and end up living in my little town for the rest of my life. Which would be like torture," Tessa's face crumpled and Nancy felt her heart go out to the girl.

"I'll help you," she promised. "We'll get you through these classes, I promise." She touched Tessa's shoulder gently and was surprised when she recoiled at the touch. "Tessa?" Nancy's brow furrowed. The girl quickly relaxed.

"You would do that?" she asked breathlessly. "But… you barely know me."

"What are you talking about?" Nancy allowed herself a small smile. "I thought we were going to be like sisters."

A smile slowly spread across Tessa's thin face. Nancy pulled her into a hug. _Thank goodness Bess has trained me in girl comforting!_ "Alright, let's get you some food and then we'll look at that work of yours!"

Agent homework would just have to wait.

* * *

"So what did he say?" Joe pulled his shirt off and grabbed a fresh one, tossing the sweaty one on the floor.

"Dude! Put it in the laundry basket!" Frank huffed, poking the t-shirt with his foot.

"Fine," Joe rolled his eyes but tossed it into the basket. "So what'd he say?"

"Who?" Frank grabbed his textbook out of his backpack.

"The headmaster, duh!" Joe slapped on some cologne, the smell permeating the air.

"What the heck," Frank coughed. "That stinks! Do you really need that?"

"Yep. The girls dig it." Joe mussed his hair slightly. "So what'd he say?"

"The headmaster is a woman," Frank told him, smiling slightly at Joe's surprised expression.

"Serious?" Joe turned to face Frank.

"Yeah. And…" Frank hesitated for a second. Joe was his partner. He kept no secrets from him. But this... The Headmaster of a secret agent training program had asked him specifically not to tell anyone. "She just wanted to make sure I felt comfortable with where I was since I'm a year ahead of the rest of the first years," he lied smoothly. Joe raised his eyebrows but didn't question it.

"How was she?"

"She seemed pretty down to business," Frank shrugged, pulling out a notebook.

"Alright, I'm headed out," Joe grabbed a packet of gum off the dresser and shoved it into his pocket.

"Shouldn't you be doing homework?" Frank couldn't keep the disapproval out of his voice.

"It's the first day, _Mom_. Relax. I have plenty of time." Joe was already halfway out the door. "Listen, if I run into Nancy, I'll tell her you say hi." He winked one blue eye and then was gone. Frank turned to his text book, pencil clutched so tightly in his hand that his knuckles were white.

Was Joe seriously going to treat this like high school?

Frank wanted so badly to give Joe a straight up lecture, but knew from experience that Joe hated it when he tried to tell him what to do. After all, Joe was an eighteen year old kid who thought he was an adult.

Giving up on focusing, Frank grabbed his work and headed towards the library. Why not use the best feature of college?

The large library was almost completely empty. _First day of class, nobody is studying,_ Frank shook his head. All those freshmen were going to get a rude awakening. He had learned early on that deadlines were not to be messed with.

Frank scanned the large room, admiring the high ceiling with its impressive designs and large stain glass windows. Finally he allowed himself to look at the book shelves lining every wall. Years and years of scientific research, history, and creative genius were being stored in this room, and he let himself bask in the awe of that thought for a moment.

And he knew behind the shelves were classified documents. As an agent-in-training, he had been told he had access to some of those documents. Not all, and they had been informed that if they were caught leaking information they would be dumped on a corner and given a blot on the resume which would make any job other than making Big Macs impossible to obtain. It was almost a sort of lure for the dishonest; Frank was positive the 'classified' documents were a form of bait for rooting out students who were going to break the rules or even betray their country.

The only other students in the library were a couple students on the computers and a brunette and redhead mulling over a textbook together.

Hold on. Frank's pulse increased slightly as he realized the redhead was Nancy Drew. She seemed to feel his gaze and glanced up. They made eye contact.

_Crap!_

Now he was going to have to talk to her. If Joe was here, he would laugh hysterically at his hesitation and doubt.

_ Just be confident! They're just as nervous as you are,_ Joe's advice ran through his head.

_I must be going insane if I'm seriously taking advice from Joe._

"Hey Nancy!" Frank raised a hand in greeting. "How's it going?"

"Hi Frank," Nancy smiled, looking up from the book. "It's going." There was an awkward pause. "Oh, this is my roommate, Tessa," Nancy introduced the small brunette.

"Nice to meet you Tessa, I'm Frank," Frank nodded to her with a friendly smile, noting the gash above the girl's left eyebrow.

"Nice to meet you," Tessa said shyly. "Nancy's helping me with my classes." The look she gave Nancy was almost adoring. Nancy shifted in her seat, pale cheeks flushing slightly in a way that Frank found incredibly attractive. It was basically the only time when he could tell there was emotion behind that hard wall he could already tell was up.

Frank opened his mouth to respond, but his words were drowned out with a deafening bang. He was knocked to the ground with the force, debris flying. Instinctively he curled into a protective position. Screams filled the air, the electricity blinked out, plunging the room into darkness except for the flickering of fire.

* * *

_**Pretty please hit that review button! I would love some encouragement/thoughts! Also, I will consider giving my reviewers a virtual kitten if you promise to take care of it! :D**_


	5. Things Get Hot

_**I'm back!**_

_** I'm in a super big hurry but I promise I will have a longer author's note next update! I wanted to make sure to get this to all of you in time!**_

_**Here's my note for now: You all are awesome! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys!**_

"Nancy!"

Nancy groaned as she drifted back to consciousness but could not quite open her eyes.

"Help! Someone help! My friend is hurt!" The voice sounded very close.

Somewhere in the distance a woman was crying and people were shouting.

"Nancy?! Tessa?!" This time it was a deep voice.

"Thank God, Frank! Nancy's hurt!"

"Hold on, I'm making my way over there!" The concern in his voice was tangible.

"Oh God, I think she might be dead," Tessa was crying hysterically.

"No I'm not, I'm fine," Nancy managed to mumble, blinking open her eyes. It was still dark except the light of Tessa's phone.

"Nancy!" Tessa sobbed. "Are you okay?" Her face was eerily illuminated with the pale light from her phone.

"Let me see." The dark for of Frank Hardy was suddenly beside her, his hands gently touching her head and examining the gash towards the back of her head, which Nancy was only beginning to become aware of herself. She felt shivers at his touch, which was surprisingly gentle.

"I'm fine," Nancy sat up. Her gaze turned to the flickering flames that were beginning to catch the shelves of books on fire. "We need to find out what happened." She stood up, feeling dizzy for a moment, but ignored it. "Tessa, make your way out of here, I'm going to try to take a look at what happened."

"Are you crazy?!" Tessa cried, grabbing her hand. "We have to get out of here!"

"We don't know if the structure has been damaged," Frank said in a low voice.

"If I can take a look at the damage now before the fire destroys the scene, I might be able to get some more details on what happened," Nancy said impatiently, pulling out her phone and pressing the flashlight app. The wail of sirens could be heard faintly, and a couple people had rushed into the burning building, helping students out and searching for those who might be injured. Their lights swept the darkness in a chaotic jumble of flashes of light, much of it illuminating the smoke which was filling the air.

"I'm coming," Frank said.

"Alright, let's go." There wasn't enough time to argue. "Tessa, please, go!" Nancy ordered her.

"Hold on," Frank stopped her.

"What now?" Nancy snapped. Frank ignored her and disappeared. Moments later he came back holding a fire extinguisher.

"Alright, now let's go."

* * *

"My name isss ummm," the girl giggled, her eyes rolling back slightly. "Oh yeah, Vivy."

Joe laughed at her slurred words, taking a drink from his red Solo cup. Did he know the people in this frat house? Nope. Had he just joined their party? Yup. And everyone was too drunk to care who the heck he was.

"C'mon, let's dance," Joe grabbed the nearest hot girl and pulled her onto the dance floor which was packed with human bodies. The temperature rose instantly. From the state of what was going on, Joe wondered if he was the only one not drunk. He had a light buzz, but definitely not more than that.

"Stop!" a scared female voice could be heard above the drunken singing. Joe turned to see a large young man trying to grope at a tall blonde girl, who was pushing him away. The man grabbed her wrist, pinning her against the wall and began forcing his lips upon hers, despite her obvious struggle to get away.

"Hey!" Joe strode towards them. "Get the hell off of her!"

"Don't tell me what to do," the man roared, letting the girl go and instead turning to come swinging drunkenly at Joe.

Joe ducked the first swing and delivered a hard punch of his own to the man's jaw, knocking him out cold.

"Come on, let's go." Joe grabbed the blonde's hand and they weaved their way in and out of drunk people to the door. The chilly fall air settled around them refreshingly as they got out the door. "You alright?" Joe turned to the girl.

In the faint streetlight, her blond hair was almost glowing, and as she turned her face, the light illuminated the most perfect features Joe had ever seen.

His world froze then began progressing in slow motion. Long lashes brushing against her cheeks as she blinked, bright blue eyes, perfect lips slightly parted…

For a moment he could only stare mutely.

"I'm okay now," the girl said softly. "If not for you I think I would have been raped."

A surge of anger filled Joe at that statement.

"He got what he deserved. Too bad I didn't kick him on the way out," he growled. "Listen, what were you doing at the party? You don't seem like that kind of girl." Looking over her outfit, jean shorts and a sweatshirt, he found it surprisingly modest. She didn't even seem to be wearing makeup.

"Roommate dragged me out here and I thought I'd give it a try. Trust me, it's not going to happen again." She shivered, wrapping her arms protectively around her chest. Her large grey eyes turned towards him. "What about you, you don't seem like that kind of guy."

"Actually, I'm a pretty hardcore partier," Joe admitted. "I just try not to lose control the first night. And I have morals."

"I think you can do better than losing it at parties," the girl told him seriously. "I better go."

"Let me walk you to your dorm," Joe offered quickly, his emotions churning. He felt a sudden protectiveness.

"I'm okay." The girl gave him a blinding smile.

"No, really, it's dark out, I don't mind," Joe told her. "C'mon. I'll walk you back."

"Alright, thanks. What are you, some sort of partier gentleman?"

"That's me," Joe grinned. "Partier gentleman Joe Hardy at your service."

"Vanessa Bender," she smiled, touching his offered hand lightly. "This is my first year here at Colen."

"Me too." They started walking towards the dorms. His phone beeped and he checked it quickly. "Just a campus alert," he said, starting to put it away.

"What did it say?" Vanessa asked.

"I didn't read it, hold on," Joe clicked on the alert, his brow furrowing. "Crap." He turned around, his heart starting to race.

"What did it say?" Vanessa asked again.

"There was an explosion at the library. My brother might be in there." Joe shoved the phone in his pocket. "I'm sorry Vanessa…"

"Joe, you need to go! I'll be close behind."

That was all Joe needed and he took off at a sprint.

_**Don't forget to tell me what you think! AKA Please Review :)**_


	6. Trust Issues

_**Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late with this chapter.**_

_**Okay, I'm going to be honest. I've been really struggling with this story. Last chapter, I got a really negative review and it totally turned me off. Every time I try to write more, I have a hard time because all the negative stuff is going through my head. I used to be so excited to update a chapter because I love my reviewers and valued them so much, but now I just kind of worry that someone else is going to tell me my writing is horrible and the characters are poorly done and that people aren't enjoying this anymore. I don't do this solely for reviews, but I do do it mostly for my readers. It's fun to engage with people over characters we all love and manipulate them to different situations. However, it does take time on my part since I do try to have a fairly good quality of writing (although apparently that it hasn't been up to par :( So I'm feeling a bit down on this story to be honest. Maybe I'm too sensitive or something but I haven't had this problem on my other stories.**_

_**On that note, I do appreciate constructive criticism, and I don't mind at all when people give me helpful advice, especially if they also say something they liked or let me know they don't hate the story because of a mistake. Also, reviewers will be thanked in the next story because I just can't muster the energy to do that right now.**_

_**To my other awesome reviewers, love ya all! Right now, you're the only reason I haven't deleted this story.**_

_**Okay, enough of me being sad! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

_Pick up, pick up, pick up,_ Joe chanted in his mind as he approached the burning building. Police cars, SWAT team members, and ambulances were swarming the area, surrounded by students trying to figure out what had happened. _Come on Frank!_

"Hi, this is Frank Hardy. Unfortunately I am unable to answer the phone…." Joe swore and ended the call.

"Stay back, son!" A police officer told him. Joe backed up slightly, gazing at the flames which were licking the sky, his heart pounding in his chest.

Suddenly he spotted a familiar face, a thin brunette being talked to by an ambulance worker, wrapped in a blanket.

"Hey! Hey, you're Nancy's roommate… Tessa!" Joe ran towards them. Tessa turned, her eyes widening. "Where's my brother?! Did you see him?"

"He's with Nancy, they're still in there!" Tessa told him. "I tried to get them to leave but they were looking for evidence about the explosion."

Joe stared at Tessa blankly. That did not sound at all like his brother. Usually he was the one with the rash dangerous decisions, not Frank.

It had to be Nancy.

"Alright, thanks Tessa." Joe took a deep breath. Then he jumped over the temporary barrier, ignoring the shouts of protest, and sprinted towards the door of the building.

* * *

"Nancy, we have to pull out!" Frank shouted, pulling his shirt up to cover his nose, trying to reduce the smoke inhalation that was already making him feel light headed. He tossed aside the used up fire extinguisher which had bought them a safe path.

"Hold on!" Nancy edged towards the flaming shelves near where the explosion had begun, ignoring the heat which raised with every step she took. Then, quickly she darted forward and snatched something off the ground, before stumbling back, coughing. "Alright, let's go!" she shouted. Just then, there was another explosion, flames leaping out towards them, about to engulf Nancy, who was closer.

"Nancy!" Frank didn't even know what he was doing, moving by instinct to grab Nancy by her waist and propel both of them forward. They stumbled to the ground, with her on top of him. For a moment their eyes locked, crystal blue burning into deep brown.

"Thanks." Nancy rolled off of him and pulled him up with surprising strength. "Are you okay?"

Frank nodded.

"Alright, let's go," Nancy grabbed his hand.

The roof creaked alarmingly above their heads.

"Good plan," Frank panted as they sprinted towards the exit.

"Frank! FRANK!" a familiar voice shouted out.

"On our way out!" Frank yelled.

Nancy tripped and before Frank could respond, Joe had already pulled her up and helped her out the door.

"What the…!" A firefighter rushed to help them. "I thought everybody was out! Are you the last ones? Were there any others in there?"

"Nobody else," Frank coughed.

"We need a medical team, stat!"

"We're fine!" Nancy coughed, leaning against Joe. In the light of the streetlight, Frank was alarmed to see the back of her head was stained darkly with blood.

"We're checking you over whether you like it or not," an emergency worker told her firmly.

"Sir, please come with me," another emergency worker approached Frank, and he followed without protest, aware that Joe was sticking close by.

"Young man! Can you tell us what happened? Why were you in there so long?" Suddenly a reporter was shoving a microphone towards Frank. Several others clamored for his attention.

"Get out of the way!" A police officer bellowed. "I'll have you all arrested for interfering with medical examination of emergency victims!"

Frank turned slightly and glanced back at Nancy, who was having an oxygen mask adjusted on her while another worker examined the gash on the back of her head. She caught his gaze and gave him the thumbs up sign.

Frank returned the gesture.

Never in his life had he met a girl like Nancy Drew.

* * *

_"Briiiiinnnngggg."_

Nancy groaned and rolled over, hitting the snooze button on the alarm. Across the room, Tessa stirred slightly.

Nancy closed her eyes and tried to get another precious five minutes of sleep, but now that she was awake, her head was beginning to throb and the various bruises and burns from the fire were announcing their presence. She wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep.

Resigning herself to that fact, she got up and grabbed her laptop. Quickly she compared the site of the explosion at the library to the library map. As she had suspected, the explosion was in the area of the secret entrance to the classified document section.

Maybe someone had been trying to get into the information?

However, that made zero sense. Anybody who knew about the documents would already have access to them. Besides, the explosion had basically destroyed all of them. So the object couldn't have been to obtain the documents.

Nancy sighed and massaged her temples slightly. Her alarm was about to go off again. This would have to wait until later. Maybe she could swap theories with the Hardy boys.

The thought of Frank made her face flush slightly. She had never met anybody so like herself. For heaven's sake, Frank was willing to stay in a burning building to search for evidence that could link the crime to the perpetrator. Not even George would have been okay with that.

Thankfully a trip to the hospital had also been avoided, which meant her dad hadn't been called. Nancy had experienced too many of those types of conversations with her dad to relish the idea of another one.

_ "Briiiiiinnnnnngggg."_

Nancy shut her laptop and turned off the alarm. Crap. She was sore. That was not going to make physical fitness class fun at all. At least they hadn't started combat training yet.

She pulled on some jeans and a loose t-shirt. She looked like a mess, she decided as she looked into the mirror. There were dark shadows under her eyes and a small cut ran down the side of her face. Her hair looked like a bird's nest from showering last night to get the blood out of her hair and sleeping on it wet. Bess would faint if she saw her. Oh well.

"Hey Tessa, you've got an 8:00 class today," Nancy gently shook her roommate awake.

"Is it morning already?" Tessa groaned, blinking her eyes sleepily.

"Unfortunately. Well, I'm off to class," Nancy told her.

"Are you feeling okay?" Tessa asked, concern written all over her face.

"Perfect!" Nancy smiled. "Have a great day!" She slipped out of the dorm room still smiling. Tessa McKlean was one of the sweetest girls she had ever met.

Unfortunately she stepped out of the room and ran straight into someone.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry… Frank?" Nancy's eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Frank's face flushed in a way that Nancy found very cute. "I was just walking by and wanted to check you were okay," he finished. Subconsciously Nancy stiffened slightly.

"We do need to talk about what happened in the library," she agreed, not sure why her voice was slightly colder than usual. Maybe she just wanted to bring this back to a professional level.

"Definitely," Frank agreed, and she could tell he was slightly taken aback at her distant tone. They began walking. "So I think the explosion was some sort of stunt to scare. After all, it was set so that…"

"It would destroy the secret classified document room," Nancy finished his sentence. "I agree. Someone is trying to send the authorities some sort of message."

"Right. The explosion was right in the secret room, so it's alerted the staff that somebody knows about their top secret program."

"Somebody who has access to explosives and for some reason wants to blow things up." Frank ran a hand through his dark hair. He paused for a moment. "Nancy, what did you get from the scene?"

Nancy's heart sunk. She had known this moment was coming. Sharing theories was one thing, but sharing a potential lead and evidence was another. How did she know that Frank was not the one who set off the bomb? After all, he had been there, was aware of the agent program and classified document room, and she knew he would be capable of setting up explosives. Knowing the reputation of the Hardy boys, he probably could go into a kitchen and assemble a bomb in ten minutes flat from ingredients lying around.

So why didn't she trust him? She could think of absolutely no reason not too. But trust was no longer something she gave easily.

"It turned out not to be anything," Nancy lied. "I thought it was a lead but actually it was part of the book case that exploded." She forced herself to look disappointed.

"Really?" Frank's expression didn't change much, but she could tell that he was disappointed. "How's your head doing by the way?"

"Great," Nancy put on a smile.

They stopped outside the lecture room.

"So, want to meet up after class and do some investigating?" Frank suggested.

"Sure," Nancy agreed, her eyes lighting up. She forced herself to calm down. Frank Hardy, although he was devastatingly handsome and charming, was still on her suspect list. And from past experience she knew not to cross anybody off the list too early. "Can we change that to after dinner?"

She had some investigating of her own to do.

_**Please leave a review! :)**_


	7. Complications and Mystery

_**Can I just say you all are awesome?! **_

_**Thanks for the amazing encouraging reviews. I feel so much better and into my story now! :) Although I still don't really know exactly where it's going. I have a rough idea though. **_

_**Anyways, individual awesomeness awards go to my reviewers, Pantherfan16, no-one important, PrincessSkywalkerOrgana, Kirsty, madi, Guest #1, ILoveMom, Guest#2, The Mystery girl, j, FreshKicks, max2013, Guest#3, Shani8, RebelBookWorm, Guest#4, NancyAustin, the-fruit-not-the-bird, and TrixieNancy124!**_

_**You all are amazing! I really really enjoyed seeing some reviews from some new reviewers as well as my regulars! I do read every single review, so if you do have a minute to spare to right anything (doesn't have to be deep and profound) I would love to hear from you. (By the way, welcome back NancyAustin- of course I remember you! :)**_

_**Thanks again. The support I got from all of you was amazing.**_

_**Here's the next chapter! I wouldn't say it's my best but I hope you enjoy it! Nice and long this time :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I still do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys (for the millionth time)**_

He had forgotten to get her number.

Joe clenched his hand into a fist and swore under his breath. Frank frowned at him. Luckily Professor Styph didn't seem to notice and kept lecturing about the different psychological profiles of criminals.

Crap. How the heck was he supposed to find her again? He briefly considered having Frank hack into the school information files to get her dorm room, but quickly decided Frank would never agree.

Her image flashed through his head again, the large soft grey eyes, blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders, plump rosy lips….

"Joseph Hardy!"

Joe jerked his head up to find Professor Styph staring him down.

"Can I kindly ask you to pay attention in class?" he glowered.

"Of course. I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again," Joe told him earnestly. He could feel Frank's disapproving glare on the side of his face.

"Hmph." Professor Styph gave Joe a stern look then continued on with the lecture. Joe let out a quiet breath of relief and relaxed back in his seat.

He didn't know what it was about Vanessa Bender that attracted him so strongly. Maybe it was the sense of innocence which surrounded her, the modest clothing, the fact that they hadn't ended up making out but had an actual conversation instead.

She reminded him of Iola.

Joe clenched his jaw, pushing the forbidden name out of his mind. Iola was off limits to think about. The guilt and sadness were just too strong for him to handle.

But no matter how much he partied and no matter how many girls he messed around with, he still couldn't find the happiness Iola had given him.

The protectiveness he had felt towards Vanessa was the strongest feeling he had felt towards a girl since Iola. It wasn't like the lust or physical desire he had found in others. This was a purer, special, rare…

He had to find Vanessa. But would she want to see him? After all, he had admitted he was a partier, she had probably seen him drinking and dancing with random girls at the party. He was everything she wasn't .

Frank nudged Joe and looked to blackboard pointedly. Joe stifled a sigh. He couldn't talk to Frank about this. Ever since Iola, their relationship had been strained. Ever calm and rational, Frank had patiently waited for Joe to open up and talk to him, but Joe had never been able to bring himself to confide in his brother about the guilt he felt. Maybe it was because Frank was freakin' perfect. When was the last time Frank had screwed up? He was the perfect, obedient, studious older brother, so Joe had decided to take the rebellious younger brother role.

Joe's eyes flickered towards Nancy, who appeared to be paying rapt attention and even… _taking notes!_ Joe observed with a smirk. She and Frank were a match made in heaven for sure. But Nancy was a girl. She could probably use her girly connections and skills to find Vanessa for him. Then he could approach her the right way instead of tracking her down like a stalker.

Satisfied with his plan, Joe turned his eyes towards the front of the class and attempted to pay attention.

* * *

Nancy Drew was as confusing as hell, Frank decided as he walked back from Headmaster Peters' office. He had quickly given the headmaster a summary of what he knew, and she had been able to offer little information to him. She had been very interested in the fact that Nancy had headed towards the fire to try to investigate the scene before it all burned.

The startling thing was that the Headmaster believed it was simply a pressurizer from the documents room which exploded accidentally. This explained why there weren't FBI agents swarming around the school or people being interviewed or the school being shut down. Nobody seemed really concerned, and now Frank knew why. They all believed the explosion was an accident. At least, that was what they were being told.

However, Frank instinctively knew there was more to this than a faulty pressurizer. And he doubted that the Headmaster truly believed that either.

Which brought Frank back to Nancy Drew. What was up with her? One moment she was warm and friendly, and they were busy saving each other's lives from fires and running through a collapsing building, and the next she was closed off and distant. He had almost physically seen the walls she had put up that morning, closing him off.

They had worked so well as a team in the library, it had felt so natural. He had gotten up excited, thinking that he had a new teammate, someone he could rely on while Joe was off making dumb decisions. But then when he had talked to Nancy, she had been cold and distant. He knew she was lying about finding some evidence at the site, although her acting skills were impressive.

Why was she shutting him out?

Frank clenched his jaw. Why did this matter so much to him? She was just another girl. He could make friends elsewhere. It wasn't like he hadn't been rejected before.

But somehow this felt different. It felt like betrayal that she didn't trust him. And for some reason, against all detective instincts screaming at him not to, he trusted her fully.

Frank pushed open the door to the agent fitness center. The class seemed to be in a personal work out session with each young adult doing different exercises.

His stomach clenched as he spotted Nancy, her hair swept back into a ponytail, wearing a tank top and exercise shorts, laughing with Roc. Frank watched at Roc lightly touched her shoulder and she said something animatedly and they both laughed.

Frank pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside, and attacked the punching bag with an energy he had never felt before.

* * *

Nancy got to the dorm room and locked it behind her. Going to the chest of drawers she shared with Tessa, Nancy fished through the sock drawer to find a small Ziploc bag. She pulled it out and brought it to her desk. Carefully she poured the contents of the baggy, some twisted pieces of metal and wires, onto a plastic plate.

For a moment, she paused, pushing all thoughts but detective work out of her head. She wouldn't allow herself to think about Frank's betrayed expression when she brushed him off. No images of bare chested Frank working out in the gym... Finding the next clue was all that had to matter for now.

Explosives weren't Nancy's strength, but she wasn't clueless either. After a bomb was left in her convertible, Nancy had decided that she should teach herself about detonating devices. Unfortunately, after a little while of examination and a lot of research on her laptop, Nancy was left with little information.

The way that the metal was twisted told Nancy that the bomb had probably been made for maximum damage; a large force going all directions. She considered doing a chemical test on the pieces to find out what was used in the explosive, but dismissed the idea. She didn't have the equipment and it was not likely the results would actually give her any information that could lead her to a culprit.

There was only so much information that could be gained from a little twisted piece of metal and wires.

Well she knew one thing. This was an inside job.  
Only a student or staff at the institution would have knowledge and access to the Confidential Documents Room.

The thought gave Nancy shivers, but there were still so many gaps. Who and why? What was the point? What was the person trying to accomplish? Sighing, she carefully poured the metal scraps back into the baggy and hid it back in her sock drawer. There was a knock at the door. Nancy sighed internally, not ready to face Frank again. Her feelings were just too confusing when it came to him.

"Tessa?" Nancy's brow furrowed as she opened the door to find the slim brunette. "Don't you have the combination?" she asked.

"I forgot it and I lost the piece of paper I had it written on," Tessa admitted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Come on in, I didn't mean to lock you out," Nancy felt a rush of guilt.

"It's not your fault," Tessa told her, slipping into the room.

"How were your classes?" Nancy asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"Good. But Nancy…" Tessa looked upset. "My psych 101 book… I brought it to the library last night…"

"So it's a pile of ashes," Nancy finished. "Your professor will understand, surely he'll extend your homework due date while you get a book, right?"

"But that's the problem," Tessa said quietly. "I can't afford another book. My scholarship didn't include books so I scraped up the money for them but I couldn't afford the insurance and I don't have the money for another book." Tessa bit her lip. "What should I do?"

Now Nancy noticed that her eyes were red and puffy again. She had been crying.

"Don't worry, I'll cover it," Nancy said quickly.

"Nancy, no," Tessa objected.

"Yes, I've got it," Nancy grabbed her hand. "Listen, someday when you're an excellent psychologist and helping troubled kids, making the money you deserve, you can pay me back. But for now, I have some extra money, so I've got it. Later, I'll be down on my luck, you can do something to help me out."

"I don't understand why you care about me," Tessa said quietly. "I don't deserve it."

That statement confused Nancy. Tessa's expression told her that the sweet girl truly believed her own words.

"What are you talking about? This isn't about deserving things; it's about helping a friend. And of course I care about you. You're my friend and you're a person. And even if this was about deserving things, then I can say with confidence that you deserve way more than you have. You're the sweetest girl I've met," Nancy told her.

"Thanks Nancy," Tessa whispered. "But I'm not. I mess everything up."

"Who the hell told you that?" Nancy frowned. "What are you talking about? You don't mess everything up at all. Did somebody tell you that?" Nancy looked intently into Tessa's face and saw that she had hit the truth. "Tessa, who told you that?"

"Nobody," Tessa looked away.

Nancy decided not to push any farther. Tessa obviously wasn't ready to tell her what was going on. But when she found out who was filling Tessa's head with such poisonous lies, that person had better watch out. Hopefully she would open up soon.

Because she could tell something was seriously wrong.

As she walked down the hall to meet Frank in the cafeteria, worrying about Tessa, her path was suddenly blocked.

"Nancy, I really need a favor." Joe Hardy's expression was pleading.

"What?" Nancy sighed. She hadn't thought her life could get any crazier. And then she had met the Hardy Boys and realized she was sadly mistaken.

"Well, I think I'm in love. And I need help finding the girl."

_**What do you think?! Please review! :)**_


	8. Friends and Stalkers

_**You all are awesome! I loved each and every review I got from all of you! I especially love all the debates on Tessa and the Headmaster :D **_

_**Huge thanks to my amazing reviewers, Guest #1, the-fruit-not-the-bird, dolphingirl7, ILoveMom, max2013, TrixieNancy124, Poler bear, Shani8, VerityD, PrincessSkywalkerOrgana, j, Guast, and no-oneimportant! I love your thoughts and comments!**_

_**The Awesomeness Award of reviews goes to Guast who used the term "Awesome stories of Awesomeness" and made me laugh. But I love all your reviews. I just particularly enjoyed that phrase :)**_

_**I finally have time to work on my story this weekend! (been working off my supply of chapters which is shrinking) **_

_**...SOooooo If you want to be awesome (or an Awesome Reviewer of Awesomeness) I would love some thoughts/encouragement on the story as I tackle trying to finish a large chunk! (shameless plug for reviews)**_

_**On with the story!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

Frank watched his brother pace back and forth in the small dorm room. The younger Hardy had been in a strange mood since the fire.

"Joe?" It was a one worded question and both of them knew it.

"What?" Joe turned and looked at Frank who just raised his eyebrows. "Frank, I don't know what you want," Joe huffed.

"You keep pacing around the room, you seem distracted all the time, you aren't even _remotely_ interested in finding out what happened with the explosion in the library. What's up?" Frank crossed his arms.

At his words, Joe seemed to deflate.

"I just can't focus," he groaned. "I found Iola…"

Frank's eyes widened. _Oh God, he's finally cracked…_

"Joe, Iola is dead," Frank said gently, not able to keep the alarm out of his voice. Was his brother starting to hallucinate? Even the fact that Joe had said the name Iola was unusual. It was a major taboo subject among the brothers.

"God, I _know_ that Frank!" Joe banged his fist on his desk, his blue eyes full of anguish. "I didn't mean I found _her._ I was going to say I found a girl that reminds me a lot of her." He was silent for a moment. "I ran into her at a party but she isn't that type of girl. Some guy had grabbed her and was getting rough and I knocked him out and took her outside. We talked." Joe's fingers drummed against his jeans. Frank couldn't remember him being so worked up for a girl since the night before he asked Iola out.

"I… I'm not sure what to say." To tell the truth, Frank had no idea what advice to give his brother. His first thought would be to tell Joe to try to focus first on his school work. But as soon as the thought entered into his mind, somehow he knew it would be the exact wrong thing to say.

For some reason, ever since Iola's death, Joe had been distant. The two did their usual banter, but when it came to confiding to each other, something was missing. Which made this confession of Joe's even more important.

"I told Nancy."

"You told Nancy?" Frank's head shot up. For some reason he felt a twinge of unfounded jealousy. He wasn't sure if he was jealous of Nancy spending time with Joe or of the fact that Joe had not come to him first.

"She said she'd help me find the girl," Joe elaborated. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Joe…" Frank worried his bottom lip for a moment. He had Joe's full attention and the younger brother was listening to him intently. He couldn't screw this up. "Listen. I know this girl seems really important, but in the end, she won't matter…"

Joe's expression changed and he could almost see the walls coming back up. Crap. He had said the wrong thing.

"I mean," Frank quickly backpedalled. "Right now is our chance to prepare ourselves, get trained so that we can live out our dream. And you know how competitive this field is. We have to give it our all. There can't be girls, or anything. Just one hundred percent focus."

"So you're saying I should give her up. She doesn't matter." Joe swallowed hard, his blue eyes emotionless.

"Joe…" Frank could tell this was not going well.

"That's shit, Frank." Joe's eyes suddenly burned with fire. "That's real bullshit. You know what I learned from Iola? You can't take anything for granted. You've got to love while you had the chance. Do you think that if I knew what would happen that I would have spent more time with Iola? Of course I would have! I would give anything to go back, to tell her I loved her more, to be less selfish, to sacrifice more for her. I don't want to lose that chance again. And for what, the remote chance of becoming an agent?! To be told what to do for the rest of my life? To most likely end up as an analyst pushing pencils?" Joe was nearly shouting, and he paused, breathing heavily.

"I wanted to become an agent for Iola, so that I could hunt down people like the ones who killed her. But now I'm thinking that maybe I should do something else with my life, something more meaningful. She wouldn't have wanted me to live a life fueled on revenge. Maybe Vanessa is my chance to make up for everything I wasn't to Iola. You know as well as I do from being in the Network that these organizations aren't completely honest either. They use people like us, use up all the talent then spit them out."

It was silent.

"I'm going to take a walk."

With that, Joe pushed past Frank and walked out the door, leaving Frank speechless behind.

* * *

Nancy walked down the dorm hallway, not exactly sure why she was there.

That's right. Joe Hardy.

She sighed and stopped in front of number 205. Why had she agreed to this?

Because she was an idiot. And because Joe Hardy, sleek and suave Joe, had sounded so desperate. Despite his annoyingness and immaturity, she genuinely like him. He was a funny guy.

She was starting to understand why her friends with little brothers complained about being annoyed so much. However she knew that she would have given anything to have a sibling, as irritating as they could be.

So, Nancy raised her hand and knocked.

The door creaked open, and a very pretty blond haired girl appeared in the doorway.

"Hi, are you Vanessa Bender?" Nancy asked.

"I am…" Vanessa said uncertainly.

"I'm Nancy Drew," Nancy smiled, offering her hand. Vanessa took it hesitantly. "This is going to sound strange, but I have something for you." Nancy pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it to the girl.

"Who is it from?" Vanessa asked curiously. "Can I open it?"

"Sure," Nancy shrugged.

Quickly Vanessa tore open the envelope and stared at the small note. All that was written was a date, time, and place.

"Who is this from?" Vanessa's expression was excited but confused.

"Do you remember a certain Joe Hardy?" Nancy grinned. Vanessa's grey eyes widened and she looked back down at the note.

"He wants me to meet him?"

"Will you go?" Nancy wondered.

"I guess I have nothing to lose," Vanessa smiled. "So how do you know him?"

"Unfortunately he's one of my classmates," Nancy grimaced.

There was a loud bang and a stream of curses came from Vanessa's dorm room.

"I'm sorry, my roommate…" Vanessa's face became unhappy.

"Don't worry about it," Nancy told her quickly. Suddenly she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes narrowed. Something was hiding in one of the doorways. She took a step forward. A figure darted away. "One sec," Nancy was already sprinting down the hall. She could hear the person running down the stairs and she vaulted after them, nearly breaking her ankle. By the time she made it to the bottom of the stairs, the person was nowhere in sight.

"Darn it," Nancy cursed. She had lost her follower.

At least she now knew that the feeling of being followed the past couple of days hadn't been imagined. As she started to go up the stairs, Nancy noticed a small silver button which was lying on the ground. It must have fallen from her stalker, since she hadn't noticed any such thing on her way up the stairs just a few minutes ago. Quickly she grabbed a plastic baggy from her pocket and scooped it up.

"Nancy? Are you okay?" Vanessa's voice echoed down the staircase.

"I'm fine!" Nancy called up. She quickly ran up the stairs. "I'm sorry, I thought I saw someone."

"It's alright," Vanessa eyed her curiously. "Does trouble always follow you and the Hardys?"

"What?" Nancy tried to keep her face blank. This Vanessa girl was smart.

"Joe went running off the other day to save his brother from an explosion in the library. I don't suppose you were there too?"

"I might have been," Nancy admitted. Vanessa's grey eyes regarded her curiously. "Well, I should go," Nancy started to move slightly away. Vanessa's face fell. Nancy could hear a loud TV blaring in her dorm room.

"Your roommate seems a little wild," Nancy observed.

"She's impossible, please don't get me started," Vanessa sighed miserably. "I'm filing for a switch as soon as possible. I can't get any work done."

"I…" Nancy hesitated. "I don't suppose you'd want to come over to my room for a little while and meet my friend?"

Vanessa's face lit up.

"I would love to!" she beamed. Nancy smiled back. But her hand went to her pocket where the button was. As soon as she had some time alone, she needed to figure out what was going on here.

_**Leave that review and be an Awesome Reviewer of Awesomeness!**_


	9. Letting People In

_**I am so sorry! I've been a really bad author with not updating in forever! :( I owe at least some explanation so here it goes: I have all AP or AC classes this semester :(**_

_** This is a super long chapter though so hopefully that will make up for it a little bit. Unfortunately not much action, but it will come, I promise! **_

_**A HUGE thanks to my amazing reviewers, ILoveMom, j, FreshKicks, max2013, Shani8, Claudia Donovan, Gaust, PrincessSkywalkerOrgana, ashlei, Poler Bear, no-oneimportant, lovey, NancyAustin, sparkles321, and Wolfgirl1221!**_

_**Persistent Reviewer award goes to Nancy Austin who reviewed not once, not twice, but three times on this chapter! You are awarded with this nice long chapter and public recognition of your awesomeness.**_

_**My sister hijacked my computer where I had the doc open for this story and left me a lovely little note. She was a tad bit upset that I hadn't written more. I thought you all would enjoy it (I very much enjoyed it) so here it is: **_

**And then they both died because the author decided that she was going to stop writing and they were frozen in this scene for ever and ever and ever with an unsolved mystery and broken romances that never resolved. Frank never successfully asked Nancy out and Vanessa waited for Joe but he never came because he was still frozen talking to Nancy. And then Vanessa walked home alone in the dark feeling sad and rejected and got kidnapped by evil people but Joe wasn't there to save her. And after they killed Vanessa, the evil people came and blew up the school with frozen Joe and Nancy inside and then they proceeded to take over the government because the only people who could stop them were dead and America as we know it ended and it became a worse version of communist Russia. All because Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys weren't there to stop them. Because a certain someone decided to stop writing. Because… well, no one knows exactly why this someone stopped writing.**

**But she did. And life as we knew it ended.**

**The end.**

_**That, ladies and gentlemen, was my talented sister expressing her anguish that I hadn't written. So if you enjoyed that let me know so I can tell her. She is one of my reviewers by the way, who just now *cough cough* decided to finally show up and review. I bet you can figure out which reviewer she is :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.**_

_**Enjoy your super long chapter!**_

Later that night, after a happy Vanessa had left and Tessa had fallen asleep, Nancy stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out who would be following her and why. Unfortunately, her thoughts kept drifting towards Frank Hardy, his dark sparkling eyes, tense thoughtful expression…

She liked him.

Okay. Fine. She finally admitted it.

Confusing surged through her. She knew she liked Frank, but it was different to finally allow the feeling to come forward instead of pushing it back. And now with its appearance, her head was spinning.

Why did she keep shutting him out? Every time the opportunity to let him in, admit her worries about what was going on at the school, confide in him what she thought, something stopped her. She had put up a wall between them, between her and everybody. She had told herself it was because she wanted to focus on her career. But she knew that wasn't really the root of her behavior.

And just like that, Ned's image flashed into her mind.

This was why Nancy hated thinking about these sorts of things. Because as soon as she let herself think about relationships she became all emotional and upset. And Nancy hated being emotional about dumb things like guys.

She bit her lip and turned on her side. She knew the real reason she hated thinking about what happened. It was because it hurt, so badly. Concussions, bruises, broken bones… those were one thing. But being betrayed by the one person who had promised to stay by her side- that had hurt her like nothing else could.

Briefly she closed her eyes.

_ They were running, as fast as they could. Her chest was tightening with exertion, her breath beginning to come in gasps. Suddenly, her foot caught a root and she slammed down to the ground, her ankle twisting, pain shooting up her leg. _

_ "Ned!" she gasped, glancing back at their pursuers who were quickly catching up._

_ Still running, he glanced back, his dark eyes meeting hers. Then they flickered to their pursuers, shining with fear. He looked back at her, then turned and kept running._

_ In that moment, her world shattered._

But hadn't Frank already proved he was different? At the fire at the library, he had refused to leave her, even saved her life.

She couldn't live her life inhibited by one betrayal, as deep as that betrayal cut. Nancy took a deep breath and made up her mind.

She would open up to Frank and be honest about being followed and the evidence from the fire.

If he proved her decision to trust him to be a bad one, she would shut him out faster than an angry teen can slam the door.

* * *

"Hey Nancy!" Frank smiled, moving his backpack off the desk next to him. She was a welcome distraction from his fairly catastrophic conversation with Joe last night. Joe had been avoiding him, and honestly, Frank knew he needed to sort through his feelings before he could talk with his younger brother again.

"Hi Frank," Nancy slumped into the offered chair, her blue eyes meeting his for a moment. The amount of satisfaction he experienced at the fact that Nancy chose him out of all the guys in the room to sit by alarmed him. And then there were her crystal blue eyes. He felt like she could see straight into him and wondered if she knew how his heart was thumping wildly in his chest.

_I am such an idiot._

He did _not_ like Nancy Drew. They were friends. Period.

Apparently his emotions were having a hard time understanding that.

It wasn't like there was a chance at anything else anyways. Every time he tried to get closer to Nancy Drew, she pushed him away and shut him out. She seemed alright with the title of classmates, friends even seemed acceptable to her.

But she didn't trust him enough to share her evidence from the fire with him. He knew she had something. And obviously something was up, he could tell from the quick glances behind her back and the way her eyes flitted all over the room and her hands clenched into fists. But he already knew one thing about Nancy. She wasn't going to open up unless she decided. It was one of the most frustrating things about her, but then again, it reflected all the attributes he admired in Nancy; strength, determination, perseverance…

"Someone was following me last night," Nancy said quietly.

"What?!" Frank's eyes widened, his heart beginning to race. Quickly he looked her over for injuries. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just… I don't know why it's happening; I've had the feeling I was being followed for a while. Have you noticed anything?" Nancy asked, her blue eyes focused on him.

"I… I don't think so," Frank shook his head. "I haven't noticed anything unusual since the fire…"

"Figures," Nancy sighed, running a hand through her strawberry blond hair.

"Why would someone be following you?" Frank asked quietly.

"I have no idea. Unless…" Nancy's blue eyes lit up. "Unless someone is threatened by my investigating at the fire and is trying to figure out what I know."

"And what do you know?" Frank tested the water, his breath catching in his chest as she hesitated. "Nancy, you can trust me." He touched her hand lightly. Her eyes rose to meet his. For a second he saw the vulnerability behind the crystal blue. She was on her own at college, being followed, in possible danger, not knowing who to trust.

_Come on, let me in. I won't let you down._

"Let's meet at the study hall after class."

_ He was in._

* * *

Joe tapped his pencil against his paper, staring down at the words on the page. He just couldn't get his brain to focus.

Ever since his disastrous conversation with Frank, there was a strained silence between the brothers. Joe had stayed out so late that by the time he got back to the dorm room, Frank was passed out on his bed. Frank had attempted a conversation in the morning, but Joe brushed him off. He couldn't talk to Frank when he was confused himself. He didn't even know what he wanted. It was something Frank was less than likely to understand. All his life, his older brother had a solid drive and purpose and rarely wavered from it.

_God, what is _wrong_ with me?_ Joe pushed his pencil down so hard it broke. Something was amiss at the school, there was a mystery, he was training to be a freaking agent, and he couldn't care less at the moment. All he could think about was the text from Nancy informing him that she had talked to Vanessa and delivered his note.

Which meant he had a date with the most stunning girl on earth coming up.

Joe gave up on studying and put his pencil down, leaning back in his chair. His eyes brushed across the burnt section of the library which was taped off. The familiar tug of curiosity pulled at him. Frank was right. Something was up at this place.

"How's it going, Hardy?"

Joe's head jerked up to find Nancy half smiling at him.

"Hey Nan," he grinned halfheartedly. "How are you faring from that core workout?"

"I'm so sore it hurts to laugh. And breath," Nancy smiled. She sat down, putting her backpack on the floor. "So what are you up to?"

"Homework," Joe made a face. Nancy glanced at the practically empty sheet in front of the young man. "What are you doing here?"

"Right. Well, I'm meeting for your brother in a bit actually." Nancy pulled out her laptop. "So you two fought?" she asked almost casually.

"What?" Joe nearly choked on his coffee. Nancy just gave him a look. "How did you know…?"

"You always sit together for Beacon's lectures and today you were on opposite sides of the room. Frank seems upset, you seem upset… I think it's a bit more obvious than you think it is," Nancy smiled slightly.

"Ah." Joe looked down at his coffee. "Well… you see…"

"You don't have to tell me Joe," Nancy told him quietly.

"He doesn't approve of Vanessa," Joe stated. "He thinks I'm distracted from the training and I'm not taking it seriously."

"Are you?" Nancy asked, leaning her head on one slender hand.

"No, I'm not taking it seriously," Joe said with frustration. "It's like I don't care anymore. Ever since…" Joe stopped.

Nancy looked at him silently.

"My girlfriend was killed in a car bomb my junior year," Joe admitted quietly. His fingers tapped against his leg almost agitatedly.

"I'm so sorry," Nancy whispered, her blue eyes round with shock.

"Don't be." Joe said brusquely, his bright eyes gazing off into the distance. "It wasn't your fault, and after a lot of counseling, I've finally accepted it wasn't my fault either. But it does make you think. Any moment…" Joe made a motion with his hands. "Boom. It's over."

"And you're not sure you want to spend that time working for a bureaucracy," Nancy finished for him.

"Exactly." Joe leaned back. "But how the hell am I supposed to tell Frank that? He practically gave up a year of his life so we could enter the program together! He wouldn't understand and he would think I'm letting him down big time." The look on Joe's face was as close to distraught as Joe Hardy could get.

"So the root of this isn't Vanessa?"

"No. The issue is I want to be in some sort of control of my own life, whatever time I have left. I don't want someone constantly telling me what to do- especially when it might not be best for the people we're supposed to be helping. I just want to keep doing detective work basically. That's where I _know_ I can help people."

Joe distractedly picked up his pencil and twirled it as a student walked by. As soon as the student was out of earshot, he continued.

"And if Frank and I started our own agency, we could be the one calling the shots. I trust myself and Frank when it comes to making the right choices, nobody else." Joe took a deep breath. "I know I sound dumb pouring this out to you, but honestly, I can't talk to Frank. We agreed together before Iola's death that we wanted to be agents. And after, I was so fueled by revenge that I still thought it was the right choice."

The blue eyes held a haunted look.

"But lately, I can tell I'm losing the conviction. I can't tell Frank that, you know how he is, once he has a goal, he works hard and steady to accomplish that goal. He doesn't even _think_ about giving up. I can't just tell him I changed my mind!" Joe groaned. "So I don't know what to do. I can't let my brother down, but I can't keep going like this."

Nancy bit her lip, thinking furiously.

"He wouldn't understand this if you told him?"

"I've tried. He doesn't always take me seriously, and I'm not going to lie, I've given him reason not to. Since Iola…" Joe's eyes clouded. "I wasn't exactly the same person, and I've made some pretty bad choices. He's so freaking stubborn, I don't know how to prove to him that I've actually thought this through and am serious." Joe sighed, running a hand through his light hair, brow creased.

"That's tough. I'd say give him a little time to think about your last conversation, and keep your goofing off to a minimum so he knows you're serious. Then give it another try and see where it goes. He'll come around eventually," Nancy advised.

"Alright. I can do that," Joe nodded, his blue eyes serious. "Thanks Nan."

"Hey, it's no problem," Nancy gave him a lopsided grin. "What are friends for?" Joe smiled weakly back. "Other than annoying the heck out of each other."

"You know what, Nancy Drew? You're not half bad."

"Neither are you, Joe Hardy."

_**Please leave a review! *bribes people with virtual puppies that spend lots of time sleeping and looking cute and are potty trained***_


	10. In Persuit

_**You all are amazing! I loved the reviews and my sister was happy to see that you all enjoyed her little addition to the story!**_

_** I'm sorry this is late :(**_

_** HSMlover, you are indeed right. (and Claudia Donovan if this was your conclusion as well) Wolfgirl1221is indeed my sister. Detective Awards go to you for excellent sleuthing. Sorry sista, your cover is blown. **_

_**I've been trying to convince her to write a Hardy/Nancy story because she's an awesome writer!**_

_**Anyways, to my awesome reviewers of awesomeness, a HUGE thanks to Guest, Shani8, bhar, mg, ILoveMom, j, beachgirlsrule, wolfgirl1221, HSMlover, Nancy Austin (times 5 for each review :), max2013, Guast, FreshKicks, VerityD, Francy that, julia, Claudia Donovan, and annabeth the wise girl! You all are amazing!**_

_**NancyAustin: I'll think about that oneshot with Nick and the girls. Perhaps just for you I will do one. Maybe set when they're a little older? I'll let you know.**_

_**Okay, a quick disclaimer.**_

_**I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. And I don't even know what's going on in this story which I am writing. So if you have theories, I'd love to hear them for some inspiration. Although I do have a general idea where this is going. But I'd love to hear any thoughts!**_

_**Enjoy! And once again, sorry that this chapter is late!**_

"This is the route I've mapped out of where I was followed, and some other parts of the school," Nancy slid over in her chair to let Frank look at her laptop screen. She pulled out a small plastic baggy. "I think this button might have come from my follower. And…" Nancy bit her lip. "I found some evidence from the fire scene. I'm sorry I lied to you but I was kind of confused on who I could trust."

"No hard feelings here. It's kind of a survival tactic when you're a detective," Frank murmured understandingly, taking the bag from her hands. "Were you able to get any info from this?" He examined the twisted wires.

"Not really," Nancy shook her head.

"Who else knows you were followed?" Frank asked, putting down the baggy.

"You. Oh, and I think Vanessa kind of knows because she was there."

"Vanessa?" Frank's brow furrowed. "Wait…"

"You know, the girl Joe's fallen head over heels for?" Nancy's lips curved upward into an amused smile. Frank stiffened, the curiously amused look falling from his face. "Frank?" Nancy's smile dropped as well, replaced with confusion.

"Don't even get me started on Joe," Frank sighed. "He's not taking any of the training seriously! And he's going to throw it all away for a girl."

"Maybe that's more important to him," Nancy shrugged, regarding Frank carefully. "Maybe he never really wanted to be an agent."

"That's not true," Frank shook his head. "When I was a junior and he was a sophomore, we decided on it together. We both were in one hundred percent.

"That was a while ago though. Frank, people change," Nancy said gently. "Especially with the death of his girlfriend."

Frank's head shot up. "How did you…"

"We talked."

"He… he talked to you about her?" Frank's dark eyes regarded her with surprise. She could feel the slight jealousy in his gaze. But whether he was jealous of her time or Joe's, she wasn't sure.

"Yeah. And I'm sorry," Nancy said quietly, lightly touching his hand.

"You're sorry? For what?" Frank looked alarmed.

"That you lost a friend. Her death probably didn't just affect Joe," Nancy explained. Her brow creased at his relieved look. "What did you think I was saying?"

"I don't know," Frank shook his head. "I was just being dumb."

"So, the Great Frank Hardy admits his stupidity?" Nancy's blue eyes twinkled merrily.

"What do you mean, the Great Frank Hardy?" Frank stiffened.

"That's exactly what I mean," Nancy grinned at his affronted look, gesturing at him, laughing lightly. Frank relaxed and chuckled, suddenly pleased at her playful teasing.

"You win," he said, knowing there was a stupid smile on his face, and not caring. Nancy smiled, sweeping back her strawberry blonde hair out of her face, long lashes brushing against her cheek as she blinked.

She was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl Frank had ever seen. His dark eyes remained fixated on her, taking in her perfect features and flawless pale skin. She held almost a delicate beauty, emphasized by her light skin and bright blue eyes.

The bright blue eyes which he was enamored with suddenly turned towards him and locked upon his face. Almost unconsciously, Frank leaned towards her. His hand brushed against hers, and he felt a soft tingle at the touch.

Suddenly Nancy moved away, her gaze slipping away from his.

"So do you think you could look at the bomb fragment?" she asked.

"Wha…Oh, yeah, sure," Frank confusedly sat back.

"Thanks." Nancy started grabbing her papers and stuffing them into a folder.

"Hey, do you want to go get something to eat?" Frank asked, not wanting their interaction to end quite yet.

"I'm fine, but thanks Frank," Nancy smiled, briefly meeting his gaze.

"What about your stalker? Do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?" Frank helped her put some papers into the folder. _Now he just sounded desperate._

"Oh, I'll be fine," Nancy said firmly, swinging her backpack up onto her back.

"Okay…"

"See you later, Frank," Nancy smiled. "Let's talk about all this again."

"Yes, definitely," Frank nodded eagerly.

"Alright, see you later!"

"Bye!" Frank watched her walk away briskly, feeling confused.

What did he do wrong?

* * *

Nancy sighed, letting her bag fall to the ground and sat on the edge of her bed. Tessa was still out, and the room was completely silent. Faintly she could hear some students down the hall laughing and shouting drunkenly.

Quickly she changed into some sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, sweeping her hair up into a messy ponytail. Right on cue, her phone started ringing.

"Hey Daddy," Nancy smiled, picking it up.

"Hi sweetheart, how's it going?"

"It's going," Nancy answered vaguely, not able to hide the weariness in her tone. "I miss you and Hannah."

Homesickness was suddenly hitting her like a wave. It wasn't like she wanted to go back- she _loved_ being on a new adventure. It was just that she wouldn't mind a quiet evening with her dad back home.

"Nancy, what's going on?" The worry in Carson Drew's voice was tangible. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Nancy hastened to reassure him. "Just tired. And… well, there's been stuff going on here."

"Mystery stuff?" Carson sounded concerned.

"Yeah. I mean there are mysteries everywhere. And I don't really want to talk about it over the phone, no offense Dad."

"None taken. I'm not going to drill you on this because you're a big girl now. But can you just tell me if you're in danger?"

"I… I'm not sure. I don't think so," Nancy said slowly.

"If you ever want me to come up there, it's only a plane ticket away."

"I know. Thanks Dad," Nancy smiled.

"Alright. Tell me about your roommate and classes! I want to hear all about it."

"Oh they're great! Tessa is super sweet."

"Any boys catching your eye?"

"Dad!" Nancy protested. She smiled at his deep chuckle.

"Just let him know that you have an overprotective father at home who is quite handy with a baseball bat."

"Dad, I'm not actually interested in…"

"Sweetie, who is it?"

"Dad!" Nancy felt herself blush. "How did you…"

"Nancy, I've been your father for a long time. I can just tell from the way you responded. I'm just glad that after Ned…" there was a pause. "I just want you to be happy."

"Thanks Dad. But I don't think I'm ready for this yet," Nancy sighed.

"I trust your judgment. Just don't let what happened ruin your view of relationships," Carson said gently.

"I won't," Nancy promised. Suddenly she heard a faint scraping at the door. Her pulse immediately rose. "Hey Dad, I think my phone battery is dying."

"Nancy, be careful." Her dad recognized the code phrase she often used.

"I will. I love you too."

"Bye Nan, I'll be calling back later!"

"Sounds great. Bye Dad!" Nancy closed the phone and moved towards her door. Quickly she threw it open. There was a cry of pain as it connected with a crouched figure.

"Hey!" Nancy raced after the fleeing eavesdropper, who pushed open the fire escape door. Immediately alarms began going off.

Without hesitation Nancy followed the figure, the cold air rushing over her. Her momentum propelled her forward, and she slammed against the metal railing. Ignoring the pain, she raced down the stairs.

The figure darted into an alley. Nancy followed, tearing around the corner and…

Nobody.

Nancy stood in the empty alley, gazing at the dead end. The only sound was her breathing and the thumping of her heart. Then something caught her eye. There was a small piece of paper propped up against one brick wall. Nancy pulled out a plastic bag which she always kept in her pocket and carefully picked the paper up with it, careful not to touch it.

_Meet us by the bell tower Friday evening. We look forward to meeting you in person. Come alone._

* * *

_**What's going on? Don't look at me, I have no idea either! **_

_**Virtual baby pandas to those who review!**_


	11. Resolution and Conflict

_**Heyyyyy sooooo...**_

_**Alright. Scratch the excuses and let's go straight to the apology. I'm sorry this update took so long! Dear reviewers can you possibly forgive me for how sporadic my update schedule has become?**_

_**Huge thanks to my lovely reviewers, Guast, ILoveMom, Shani8, mg, Poler bear, max2013, Wolfgirl1221, NancyAustin, GJFH, julia, Claudia Donavan, PrincessSkywalkerOrgana, CuteAngel2001, and ErinJordan! You all are awesome and an inspiration!**_

_**I hope this chapter is satisfying. Please let me know!**_

_**There will be brotherly fluff. Very fluffy fluff. You have been warned. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. **_

Joe slowly surfaced from his deep sleep, taking a moment to just appreciate the warm blanket around him and the soft pillow beneath his head.

He loved Sundays. It was the only true break he got from the rigorous training schedule. Turning over, he glanced across the room and noticed that Frank was characteristically working on his laptop.

"Morning, nerd," Joe said affectionately. Frank turned, surprised, and suddenly Joe remembered they were in the midst of a fight. His frustration came back and he quickly turned so his back was to his brother.

"Joe," Frank said quietly. "We need to talk."

Joe turned over to look at him, expecting to see a self-righteous look on Frank's face, but found only a pleading expression.

"Okay, I know you're pissed at me, and..." Frank began.

"That's what you think? That I'm angry?" Joe's brow furrowed. Frank seemed to stumble for words.

"I... Yeah. I thought you were angry that I didn't like you pursuing a relationship..."

"God, Frank, I'm not mad at you!" Joe burst out.

"Then why..."

"I've been confused. About myself," Joe sat up. "I'm not angry, I just... I couldn't talk to you about what was going on when I didn't know it myself."

"Oh." Frank was at loss for words. "Are... are you okay?"

The concern and worry was shining in his dark eyes.

Joe could finally see it. Frank was worried about him. He just wanted what was best for his little brother, was confused and hurt at being shut out, frustrated that he couldn't do anything. This wasn't about training, or college. This went back all the way back to Iola. On the outside, their relationship had looked okay. But both knew on the inside that something had been damaged. Perhaps Frank hadn't been approachable. Maybe Joe had just shut it all inside. They were both to blame and now they had to both fix it.

"I'm doing better now," Joe said quietly. "After Iola... I felt so guilty."

By the look on Frank's face, Joe knew that any guilt he felt, Frank would carry as well. His brother just wanted to bear the loads of everyone he cared about, he wanted him to be happy, even at his own cost.

"And I was depressed. You know that." Joe sighed. "So I tried to feel happy; that's why I partied and all that. Obviously it didn't work. I didn't want to disappoint you, which is why I went along with the whole agent thing, but my heart wasn't in it. I thought that if I just kept at it, I would be excited about it eventually. But now I think I've realized that being an agent isn't what I want to do. It's not the lifestyle I want to lead, not when life is so fragile and fleeting. I want to slow down and actually _live._ I want to love, and not be told what to do all the time, travelling constantly. But I don't want to disappoint you. Because you are my teammate and we'll be brothers no matter what. You're my best friend." Joe ended, his gaze fixed on Frank, waiting tensely to see how he would respond. Joe didn't think he could take it if Frank blew up, or told him he was immature or...

"Joe, I'm sorry." Frank pulled Joe into a hug. "I've been putting too much pressure on you. God, what kind of brother am I if you could barely even tell me this, afraid I would be disappointed?" The guilt was clear on his features. "I just want to tell you I'm not. I won't be disappointed in you, no matter what path you take. I'll be there for you," he promised.

"Really?" Joe felt a rush of relief. This was what he had been hoping for the whole time; acceptance for simply who he was and where he was, not having to live up to any expectations or prove himself. Maybe Frank had never been asking for that anyways, maybe he just convinced himself of it.

"Really. But, can you just give me a little time to think about this? About what we're going to do?" Frank asked.

"Sure, but... I thought you would just stay and become an agent..."

"We're a team, Joe," Frank gave a small smile. Joe felt a huge smile spread across his face.

"That's what I was hoping for, I was thinking, we could open our own detective agency, like Dad. We could call the shots, you and I. We could help people, _really_ help people. You know we could, Frank. We could be partners and..."

"Slow down there, cowboy!" Frank laughed at Joe's excitement. When was the last time he had seen Joe so excited about something? The fire, which had been absent since Iola's death, was back in his little brother's eyes. And Frank would do anything to keep it there. And he had to admit that the picture Joe was painting was pretty darn appealing.

But, what about Nancy?

The thought suddenly made Frank's stomach drop. _He didn't want to leave her._

"I need to think. But we'll work it out," Frank promised Joe. He got up, closing his laptop. "I need to go meet Nancy."

"Frank."

Frank turned. "Yeah Joe?"

"I love you, bro." Joe was suddenly hugging him tightly. Tears were suddenly building behind his eyelids. All was right with his brother. Once again, they had each other. Joe felt like a huge burden had rolled off his shoulders.

"I love you too," Frank pulled his brother close. They pulled apart after a moment, both feeling light with happiness and relief.

"Promise me something," Joe said suddenly.

"Sure," Frank failed to see the mischievous spark in Joe's bright eyes.

"Go and sweep Nancy off her feet with that Hardy charm."

"Joe!"

* * *

Nancy touched the plastic baggy in her bag, her fingers lingering on the sleek plastic. Within that bag was the piece of paper that had shattered her view of what was going on.

Would she tell Frank?

And what was she going to do?

Nancy knew the answer to the second question. Of course she would go. She wanted to know what all this was about, and her curiosity was outweighing her caution, per usual. But she would be dumb to go without protection or back up. Which was where Frank and Joe came in. Out of everyone at the school, she trusted them.

If only she could figure out what was going on! Nancy couldn't remember feeling more stumped. Why did these people want to meet her? Who were they? Were they going to hurt her? Kill her? It seemed like a fairly large effort to go through to just kill her. She could think of thousands of much simpler ways of killing her.

Maybe this was related to one of her father's cases? That happened fairly often.

To her frustration, Nancy found she was coming up with a lot of questions and barely any answers.

"Hey Nancy!" Frank Hardy had a huge smile on his face. In fact, he looked happier than she had ever seen him.

"Hi Frank," Nancy forced a smile.

"I need to thank you," Frank sat down. "Joe and I worked things out. But I don't think that would have happened if you hadn't talked to him and me. I owe you big time," Frank gave a lopsided grin.

"Great!" Her smile became real, but she found she was too exhausted to try to pursue the subject further. Sleep had proved an impossible task after the night's events.

"Nancy are you okay?" Frank frowned.

"Tired," Nancy groaned, letting her head fall on her arms, trying to delay the decision on whether to tell Frank.

Her instructions hadn't warned her not to tell anyone. But Nancy had a feeling that Frank wasn't going to be enthusiastic about her plan.

"Oh yeah, I heard the fire alarm went off at your building last night. Some idiot pushed open the door or something. Did that wake you up?"

"Uh..." Nancy almost laughed. "It's a long story, but actually, I was chasing someone who had been eavesdropping at my door, and they were the one who went through the fire escape. Yeah." Nancy explained briefly.

"Are you okay? Did you catch the person?" Frank's eyes widened. "Why didn't you call me last night?"

"I don't think I was in any danger. I'm fine. I couldn't catch the person, but they left me a note." Nancy handed him the bag containing the small business card.

He read the note over quickly.

"Nancy, you can't go."

Nancy was silent.

"Nancy!"

"If I went, I could finally figure out what's going on. It's killing me, not knowing," Nancy said slowly.

"Nancy, are you crazy? This could be a trap to kidnap you or kill you!" Frank hissed. "You can't sacrifice yourself like that!"

"Says who?!" Nancy shot back. "I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions."

"I can't let you do this," Frank shook his head.

"Well, it's not your choice." Nancy's blue eyes hardened. "Listen, Frank. What if these people are putting others in danger or hurting people? I need to find out. I can't just be passive."

"Nancy, I'm telling you, you can't do this. You don't even know what you're up against!"

"Don't tell me what I can do or can't do!" Nancy growled, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"Nancy, listen to me, please," Frank pleaded, fully aware of the fury in her expression. Which was aimed at him. "I don't want you to get hurt. _Please_ think about what sort of situation you would be putting yourself in if you went out there _in the middle of the night_."

"I'm not a little kid, Frank. I've thought this through. Do you really think I would just rush into something like this? I'm not dumb!" Nancy's voice rose. _Well, I technically hadn't even come to a decision before talking with Frank... But how can he seriously think that I'm just ignorantly putting my life on the line?!_

"Nancy, I wasn't saying that…" Frank's dark eyes were starting to fill with anger also. "Can you please just listen to what I'm saying?! You just don't want to hear it!"

"I didn't tell you this to argue about it! I wanted to see if you could back me up, but now I'm thinking that was a mistake!"

"Nancy, please…" Frank tried one more time, but Nancy picked up her bag and walked off.

He felt a flair of intense anger. _God, she is so irrational!_

However, the anger quickly faded, and all his mistakes came into full view with his usual calm rational manner. Crap. He had messed up big time. Nancy had finally come to him with vulnerable information and what had he done? Completely shut her down.

Frank felt as if his chest was being compressed. _He was worried for her._ And now how was he going to protect her if she hated his guts?

He had screwed up big time and approached things the wrong way, he could see it easily now, unfortunately just too late. Well, he wasn't going to give up. He would wait for Nancy to calm down and do whatever he could to keep her safe.

Whether she wanted him to or not.

_**Whaddya think? Please give me feedback! (I am feeling a little insecure about this chappie. Probs b/c the N/F interactions...)**_

_**Virtual baby polar bears to those who review! :D**_


	12. Date Night

_**Thanks to my beautiful reviewers for being my inspiration. And gently threatening me to update! I actually really appreciate that- it sometimes is a review saying "Hey where are you?" that makes me update at the soonest possible time. Sorry it's been awhile. School is being overprotective of my time. It won't let me see anyone. It wants me to spend time only with itself and its best friend Homework.**_

_**But I have broken free of its tyrannical grip to bring you this chapter!**_

_**Huge thanks to Guest #1, Polar bear, Addie, ILoveMom, julia, max2013, ErinJordan, wolfgirl1221, Shani8, NancyAustin, j, PrincessSkywalkerOrgana, sparkles321, GJFH, Burnt Marshmellow, and Fiona Glenanne! For those who reviewed more than once to get my attention to update, you were successful and thanks for the extra motivation!**_

_**Hope you enjoy this chapter. I wrote you all a little poem at the end. It's pretty awesome.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys!**_

Joe nervously ran his hand through his hair, checking his appearance in the mirror for the 23rd time. He examined the casual yet nice sweater and jeans.

Was it too casual? Did he look too nerdy?

A speedy glance at the clock told him he had to go or he was going to be late.

Joe quickly flattened his hair once again and shoved his cell phone into his pocket. Thank goodness Frank wasn't here to see him so nervous. His older brother was off with Nancy, probably making fumbling attempts to flirt.

Quickly Joe rushed out of the dorm, and headed to the downtown of the city the school was located in, making his way to the small Chinese restaurant he had picked out.

_What if she hated Chinese food?! _Joe had a surge of panic.

Once he arrived, he just had time to casually lean against a brick wall when he spotted Vanessa walking up the street.

She was even more beautiful than he had remembered.

His blue eyes locked on her grey ones.

"Hey," he said, all suave skills suddenly gone.

"Hey," Vanessa smiled shyly. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner."

She seemed almost bashful at the fact.

"You are more than welcome, madam," Joe gave a mischievous smile, social skills finally returning along with the ability to think of words. "I hope you like Chinese."

"I do," Vanessa smiled.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Joe grinned, offering her his arm. He felt tingles as her slender fingers rested against his arm.

"Ever the gentleman," Vanessa laughed as he escorted them to their reserved table.

"But no longer a partier gentleman," Joe told her seriously. "I've decided to give that up."

"Really?" Vanessa blinked.

"Really," Joe nodded.

"I think that's great," Vanessa smiled. She took a sip of tea from the small porcelain cup. "By the way, I really liked your friend Nancy. She seems like a great girl."

"Oh she is," Joe agreed immediately.

Was that jealousy that he saw in Vanessa's eyes at that statement? The thought pleased him, but he hastened to reassure her as well.

"Yeah, she's a great friend. She's also basically my brother's soul mate but they don't know it yet. I'm trying to help him out, coaching him on how to ask someone out and all that. Frank's a little… hesitant when it comes to girls." Joe grinned. Vanessa seemed to relax.

"Really? With you as his brother, I would have thought otherwise," she teased.

"He's beyond help, honestly. Nancy is just the girl to straighten him out though," Joe shook his head. "Sometimes I can't believe we're related. But what can I say? He's my best friend and teammate," he said a bit more seriously.

Vanessa smiled silently.

"What?" Joe asked, confused at the look on her face.

"I just think it's so great that you two are such good friends," she smiled.

"It is great," Joe said honestly. "But enough about me, I want to get to know you better!"

"There isn't much for me to say," Vanessa shrugged. "I'm just an ordinary girl."

"What?!" Joe frowned. "That isn't true! I barely know you and I already think…" he trailed off, suddenly aware of the words that had threatened to slip out of his mouth.

"You think I'm what?" Vanessa asked, leaning forward.

"No, nothing…" Joe shook his head.

"I want to know," Vanessa insisted. It was so hard to resist those beautiful grey eyes.

"I… I think you're one of the most amazing girls I've ever met," Joe admitted. "And not just because you're gorgeous." Here Vanessa blushed. "When I talked to you, you confronted me about partying, about what I was doing at a party like that. You told me I was above it. You looked through me and saw who I really was."

"Joe…" Vanessa took his hand, a soft smile on her lips.

"I want to get to know you, if you'll take me as a friend or…" Joe trailed off. It was too early. They barely knew each other.

"Then let me tell you about myself," Vanessa agreed. "Friends would be a good place to start, and then…" Her grey eyes met his. "We'll see."

Joe had a feeling that she wouldn't object to something more once they were ready.

And he honestly didn't care as long as he got to spend time with her.

* * *

Nancy stabbed the keypad at her door angrily.

_What right did Frank Hardy have to tell her what she could and couldn't do?!_

_He was just concerned,_ another part of her whispered. The rational part. She pushed the thought away.

Nancy yanked the door open and entered into the room. The sight that met her made her blood run old.

Tessa was backed against a wall, crying, bright red blood standing out against her pale skin. Her blouse looked ripped, and her arms were covering her chest protectively. In front of her was a large man.

They both froze, the man turning to face the door.

"What the hell, Tessa! You told me she wasn't coming back until late!" the man yelled, backhanding Tessa.

"Hey!" Nancy dropped her bag and threw herself at the man. "Get away from her!" She attempted to pull him away from her friend, but the man was quicker on his feet than she had anticipated. Suddenly she was slammed against the dresser, her vision blurring for a moment.

"You're a tad bit feisty, but I'm not objecting," the man sneered, pinning her there. She could smell the alcohol on him. That made him more dangerous.

"Get the hell off of me," Nancy warned, her breath catching in her chest. She twisted out of his grip, delivering a quick kick to the back of the knee, bringing the man crashing down.

"Tessa, get out of here!" Nancy turned for a moment. "I can hold him for a little bit. But I don't want him to get away!"

"Nancy…" Tessa sobbed, her thin body shaking.

"Tessa, I said, get out of here! Call the police or get help!" Nancy ordered her, gasping as her leg was grabbed by the man. She kicked him, trying to get into a position where she could deliver a debilitating blow.

He wasn't making it easy, and the small room, wasn't helping either. Still, she managed to dodge his blind punches.

_Use your surroundings to your advantage._ The phrase from combat practice popped up.

Nancy rolled over one of the beds and grabbed her criminal psychology book. She swung on leg at the man's feet. When the he tripped, she raised the book and let it solidly connect with his head.

He fell to the ground limply and was still.

Nancy took a deep breath and let herself relax. Quickly she secured the man's hands together with some duct tape.

"Nancy!" Frank Hardy burst into the room, his dark eyes wide with fright. He stopped at the sight of the unconscious man on the ground, his gaze slowly lifting to meet Nancy's face.

"I'm okay," Nancy said shakily.

"Thank God," Frank said quietly, pulling her into a hug, to her surprise. "Tessa made it sound like you were fighting a losing battle."

Nancy relaxed into his embrace, her adrenaline fading and anger melting away slightly. How could she be mad when he obviously genuinely cared for her?

"Where is she?" Nancy pulled away.

"She's outside the door."

"I need to talk to her before we contact the police," Nancy said, grabbing a blanket from her bed. She brushed past Frank and hurried out the door.

Tessa was curled up by the door in the hall, which was thankfully empty.

"Tessa, are you okay?" Nancy wrapped the blanket around her thin shoulders. Tessa looked at her with tearful green eyes. Her face was a mess, blood dripping from her nose and a cut above her eyebrow.

"Nancy…" Tessa sobbed.

"Shhh. It's okay. Come on, let's get you inside." She helped the girl up. "Tessa, we're going to call the police, okay?"

"No…" Tessa protested weakly. "He's going to kill me…"

"No he's not. I promise you'll be safe," Nancy said quietly. "You can't let him get away with this!" Tessa was silent. "He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" Nancy asked. Tessa nodded, biting her lip. "Tessa, listen to me. You don't deserve this. You deserve so much better. Don't let him get away with treating you like that!"

"I'm scared," Tessa finally said quietly. "And I can't hate him. There have been times when he was so perfect…"

"I know sweetie, but this is not okay," Nancy gestured to the blood on her face. "Please. Let us call the police."

Tessa was quiet for a moment.

"Tessa, you knew I was coming back, didn't you? But you didn't tell him because you wanted help; is that what happened?" Nancy asked.

Tessa nodded silently.

"Then let us help you more. You don't have to tell me everything that's going on right now, but let's at least get you out of danger."

"Okay," Tessa said quietly.

"Thank you," Nancy pulled her into a careful hug. She then got up, walking over to Frank and talking to him quietly. Frank nodded.

"Alright, he's going to take care of everything. Let's get you to the bathroom to clean you up," Nancy came back to Tessa. "And then we're going to need to talk to the police. Do you think anything's broken? Do we need to go to the hospital?"

Tessa shook her head, leaning against Nancy as they walked down the hall.

Nancy pushed all thoughts of Frank out of her mind and directed all of her attention to Tessa. Frank would have to wait.

**_I wrote a poem to inspire you to review:_**

* * *

**_I would love a review please_**

**_I also really love certain types of cheese_**

**_Please tell me what you think, I'm down on my knees_**

**_I hope my cat never gets fleas_**

* * *

**_As you can tell, I am an awesome poet._**


	13. More Discoveries

_**I AM SO SORRY!**_

_**Okay, you all deserve an explanation. I usually try to keep all personal info off the wide web, but I'll tell you this. I am a senior in high school and am in the process of applying to colleges as well as keeping up with AP/AC classes. That's why I've been so crazily busy.**_

_**I hope you all will bear with me! Hopefully once I reach some application deadlines, things will calm down!**_

_**I promise, I will thank all of you amazing beautiful dedicated reviewers in the next chapter. And I will write you another magnificent poem. I just can't do it right now because I barely have time to get this chappie up! But, virtual pinkie promise with all of you, it will be in the next chapter! Which hopefully will be up by this weekend.**_

_**Sorry this is a little short, but I wanted to get you something after all the amazing reviews I've gotten! They are so thoughtful and I wish I had the time to respond to each and every one of them! Because I definitely would if I had that time! Stupid college. *sigh***_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. **_

"Hey bro, how was your time with Nan?" Joe burst into the dorm room, practically glowing.

"Crazy," Frank groaned. "Long story short, I totally pissed her off and then helped her report an intruder on her room, who was her roommate's abusive boyfriend. Also, she wants to meet her stalker at midnight. How was your date?"

"What?!" Joe threw his jacket onto a chair. "Hold on, _what_ happened?"

Frank went over the story again, this time actually in more detail, surprised at how much he was sharing. He told how he had "happened" to be strolling down Nancy's dorm hall… not because he wanted to run into her or anything, and had run into her roommate, who was crying and hurt. He went on to running into Nancy's room, to Nancy letting him hug her, all the way to wrapping up with the police and Nancy giving him a cold shoulder again.

By the end, Joe was shaking his head back and forth with astonishment.

"Dude, you screwed up big time, but that is _crazy_! At least it seems like you left in better terms from talking to the police, but you have to talk to her. Otherwise, you _know_ she's going to go meet her stalker in the middle of the night. Which is dangerous, but I totally get why she wants to go through with it."

"_I_ don't get it," Frank moaned. "The whole thing has a neon sign on it that says 'This Will Get You Hurt or Killed'."

"Dude, she wants to get to the bottom of the mystery. That's why," Joe shrugged. "It actually sounds like something I would do."

"Yeah, except I've got your back. Nancy is going into this _alone_."

"No she's not." Joe frowned, pulling off his t-shirt. "She was coming to you for back up. But you totally shut her down."

"You know why I can't support this."

"Because you're in loooooovvvvveeee." Joe puckered his lips. Frank threw his pillow at him with surprising force and accurate aim.

However, Joe was pretty surprised to find that Frank was denying the claim. He silently stored the fact away for future use and changed the topic.

"Speaking of love, I think Vanessa is the one." Joe sighed and lay back in bed.

"Your date went well?" Frank ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Yes. It went perfectly." Joe beamed. "Alright, back to Nancy. What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to try to talk to her."

"If you're just going to tell her why she shouldn't do it, then you should forget about it. You have to figure out how to work with her. Both of you are stubborn as hell."

"Okay. I'll try to work with her," Frank decided, taking a deep breath. Boy, he was in trouble if he was taking advice from Joe. "The thing that puts me off about this is that I actually have no idea what's going on."

"Maybe it's some sort of test for the program?" Joe drummed his fingers against his leg. "Or it could be one of her dad's enemies- her dad's a pretty famous lawyer."

"But why the explosion at the library? We could have died, but obviously these people want her alive." Frank groaned. "Maybe the Headmaster will have more information on the explosion."

"What's up with you and the Headmaster?" Joe asked suddenly.

"What?" Frank looked up, startled.

"I'm not an idiot Frank. What have you been talking with her about?" Joe raised his eyebrows.

Earlier, Frank would have lied, but now he wanted to preserve their recent renewed trust.

"She wants me to kind of keep an eye on the student body for her," he admitted in a low voice. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

"Ah." Joe's brow furrowed. "Well that's interesting. Did you tell Nancy that?"

"No… why?" Frank asked.

"You better tell her then. Because if she finds out from anybody other than you, she's going to think that you've been reporting on her." Joe was uncharacteristically serious.

"I haven't told the Headmaster much about Nancy. Not the stuff that she wouldn't want me to tell…" Frank trailed off, his pulse suddenly rising. Joe was totally right. Nancy was definitely going to think he was just spying on her, trying to get close to get information. He needed to talk to her as soon as possible. How could he not have thought of that?

_But_, he reassured himself,_ nobody knows about that so who would even be able to tell her?_

* * *

Nancy woke up to the sound of muffled crying. Sleepily, she listened to the sound, her exhausted brain trying to work out what exactly that sound meant.

Suddenly she snapped to full consciousness as she realized what she was hearing. Even though she desperately wanted to stay in her warm comfy bed, she quietly got up.

"Tessa?" she said quietly.

Tessa started up, raising her head from her pillow, eyes red and puffy, tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Just me," Nancy smiled gently, sitting on the bed beside her roommate. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tessa sniffed, trying to wipe away the tears with her sleeve.

"Okay." Nancy didn't buy it for a second but wasn't going to push it. She got up to grab the tissue box which was perched on her dresser.

"I'm scared."

The words were so soft Nancy could barely hear them.

"And I'm ashamed."

Nancy turned to look at Tessa's tear streaked face.

"Tessa, you have zero reason to be ashamed for what happened." Nancy paused, wondering if she could ask the question that had been twirling in her mind since last night. "Did… did he ever force you?"

Tessa's face went alarmingly blank.

"Tessa?" Nancy's heart started pounding.

At that moment there was a knock on the door.

_Could there possibly be worse timing?_

"One second," Nancy turned from Tessa to get the door, cracking it open so the knocker could not see in on her roommate's distraught state.

It was a security guard.

"Headmaster Peters would like to see you in her office," he said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Right now?" Nancy asked, startled.

"As soon as possible."

Nancy bit her lip. It was an order she could not avoid. "Can I have a couple minutes?"

"I'll be waiting right here."

"Alright, thanks." Nancy quickly closed the door.

"You have to go?" Tessa's voice shook, her green eyes full of fear.

"I have to. I'm so sorry," Nancy said quietly. She couldn't leave Tessa alone! Suddenly she had an idea. "Tessa, I really want someone to be here with you. Would you be comfortable with Vanessa coming here?"

Tessa nodded, her expression lightening slightly. "Yes. I would like that."

"Perfect. Can I explain a little bit of what happened last night?"

Tessa nodded.

Nancy heaved a sigh of relief, pulling a t-shirt over her tank top and grabbing her cell phone. She quickly dialed the number.

"Hey, Vanessa, this is Nancy. Something happened last night…"

About two minutes later, Vanessa was at the door, and Nancy gave Tessa tight hug before following the security guard to Headmaster Peter's office.

_**Once again, sorry for the long wait. I would love any thoughts/encouragement!**_

_**Also, I wrote this kind of fast so hopefully there aren't any huge mistakes! Don't want a repeat of the whole "clock" thing for those of you who saw/remember that. *blushes***_


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